Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: Pendulum of Connections
by Imagine97
Summary: (Remake of the Arc-V series starting from the beginning.) What would happen if Yuya was more confident and skilled as a duelist? What if he had an older brother? What if Yuya had slightly different beliefs in dueling but the same intentions? Conflict never ends. Everyone is tied by bonds they don't know that exists which lead to two choices: Peace or Destruction.
1. The Swinging Path of a Duelist

**I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V or anything related and I probably never will.**

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 **Hello everyone! I finally got the courage to do my own fanfiction. This is my first time making a Fanfiction so I don't know how this is going to go but at least I hope you can enjoy it.**

 **So this is gonna to be an attempt to remake the Arc-V series from start to finish especially after how the anime ended. I was going to do something like the Bonds of Pendulum story (written by Frost190 and her partner) which I recommend you read cause it's a really good story. Although I'm kind of going to go in a different direction with the story kind like an OC story but more "canon" I should say. I guess an example would be the Dimension Wars story, something like that. I don't know, I'm not that good at explanations. Now, I'm just going to do my own remake version starting with Yuya's childhood. Yuya might be different in this story compared to his anime version as I think will add different traits to him (for example maybe a little more serious) but at the same time I will try to keep him and everyone else in character in this story. I'm not sure if I keep that promise because I've never done this before.**

 **There's also a lot of things I'm going to change though I'm not going to say what yet. Two things I will say is that some of the characters I will age differently like for example Yuya will be 16 instead of 14, Yuya will have an older brother, and his eyes will be both red and green (heterochromatic). The two reasons for that is mainly because I feel like I can do more in terms of character development and I always wanted to create my own OCs. As for the eyes, well, I'll explain that later. Also I want to be clear about this, Yuya is still the main character of this story; his OC brother is going to be a main character but not as much as Yuya per say.**

 **Also, two things:**

 **1\. I don't really have a schedule for releasing these chapters. It depends on when I actually get these chapters done. So don't expect a routine or anything. I apologize.**

 **2\. I'm also not sure what rating this story is going to be as I haven't planned THAT far ahead yet. For now, this going to be T rated.**

 **I'm nervous since this is my first story but I at least hope you will be entertained. With that said, let's get started.**

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 **Oh, yeah. In case you're confused about my writing style.**

 **KEY:**

Normal text

 _Italics_ \- _Mostly thoughts, Monster speaking, and flashbacks_

 **Bold** \- **Mostly about Duel subjects and Locations**

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 **Chapter 1 - The Swinging Path of a Duelist**

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 **YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL - ACTION FIELD**

 **GONGENZAKA LP: 2600, Hand: 4**

Gongenzaka was looking out into the distance for his opponent as he raised a card in his hand to summon a monster.

"I tribute Superheavy Samurai Waka-O2 and Superheavy Samurai Sword-999 to Tribute Summon Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei (ATK: 1000/ **DEF: 3500** / LV: 8)!"

Gongenzaka summoned his ace monster in defense position by releasing two of his monsters.

"Now come Yuya, duel me Gongenzaka, one on one!" Gongenzaka wanted a real duel with Yuya since it's been a long time since Yuya has gotten really serious as a duelist. For the past 6 years, all Yuya has been doing in his duels is trying to make them enjoyable for people to watch instead of just focussing on winning.

As he was waiting for Yuya to make a move, Yuya appeared behind the roof of one of the buildings by jumping from the top and landing on the side of the roof.

"As you wish Gongenzaka. But first let's have some fun as I activate the Quick-Play Magic Card, Hippo Carnival! It allows me to summon 3 Hippo Tokens (ATK: 0/ **DEF: 0** / LV: 1)", Yuya responded to Gongenzaka. Since he had no monsters on his field, Yuya activated his spell that allowed him to summon 3 tokens in defense position.

As the 3 Hippo Tokens were summoned, they started dancing which made Yuya want to dance with them as well. "Haha, these three really know how to party!" Yuya was having fun as he was dancing with his monsters. Gongenzaka, however, was not amused.

"Wha...Are you kidding me?!" Gongenzaka was surprised but then had an irritated look on his face as he raised his fist. Once again, Gongenzaka was upset at Yuya for not taking their duels seriously.

Meanwhile, in another room, Yuzu and Yuya's older brother, a boy with black and red hair that was more brushed down than Yuya's along with red eyes and built with a little muscle (while wearing a black shirt, pants, gloves, a red and black jacket, and red, white and black boots), were watching their duel through the looking glass and Yuzu also had an irritated look on her face because of Yuya while Mikleo just looked amused by what Yuya was doing.

"Ugh...Come on Yuya, quit goofing around!" Yuzu was so upset that she didn't notice that she accidently slammed her hands on the circuit board until she saw sparks flying out the board.

The boy, whose name was Mikleo, sweatdropped and let out a sigh as he saw what Yuzu just did. "You probably shouldn't have done that."

As if on cue, Shuzo, Yuzu's father, burst through the door looking confused at Yuzu. "What are you doing, Yuzu?"

Yuzu was panicking as well after she saw what she did, looking at her father. "Uh...Sorry, dad!"

Shuzo was now looking more panicked than before as he put his hands on his head. "If this system breaks, then all of my hot-blooded teaching will vanish! Solid Vision will vanish!"

Just as the Solid Vision System was breaking, a young blue-haired boy named Tatsuya along with his mother were watching the duel. Tatsuya was looking at Yuya's dueling style with interest. As Yuya continued dancing, Solid Vision finally collapsed and all of the monsters and buildings, including the one Yuya was standing on top of, had disappeared. After vanishing, Yuya noticed there was no ground and fell but, due to his quick thinking, he did a front flip and landed on his feet. He then did a bow which he usually does after he's done with his performance. He then noticed Tatsuya looking at him curiously and then gave him and his mother another bow as well.

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 **YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL - CLASSROOM**

"I can't teach with passion!"

Shuzo was freaking out after their Solid Vision System broke and their school depended on the system for entertainment duels. He tried asking for Mikleo's help since he was an expert on machinery but then Mikleo gave Shuzo a look of disappointment. "Sorry Shuzo but that system is far beyond repair. I can't do anything about it."

After that, Shuzo had his hands on his head again, sitting on the couch and looking like he was wanting to cry. "The Solid Vision System is broken, and we drove away the student who wanted to apply to our school. At this rate, You Show School will go bankrupt!"

Yuya gave off a disappointing sigh as he put his goggles over his eyes. "Aw man, I could have made that boy enjoy the duel a little bit more if you hadn't broke it Yuzu."

Yuzu shot off an irritated look towards Yuya who was staring at the ceiling. "Well I've wouldn't have gotten angry if you weren't messing around like that." She had known Yuya since she was a child and growing up with him, she knew he was a really good duelist but just wished he would take them more seriously. She understands he's trying to have fun in dueling but there's other ways in doing it.

"Also look at me when you're talking to me!" Since Yuzu was irritated that Yuya was seemingly not paying attention to her, she tried to hit him with her hand before Yuya jumped and dodged out of the way.

Just as Yuya moved, he ran into and smashed his face into the body of Gongenzaka who was also looking irritated at the Yuya. Yuya was holding his face with one hand as he noticed Gongenzaka was still here. "Oh, sorry Gongenzaka. I didn't know you were still here."

"That boy wasn't having fun." Yuya lifted his goggles looking a little confused after Gongenzaka said that. Yuya then gave off a playful smile. "Huh? Oh, come on, he was smiling a little bit."

Gongenzaka then yelled at Yuya, "There's a difference between laughing at the duel and laughing at you Yuya!" Gongenzaka then looked up a bit as he reminisced the times. "When your father, Yusho Sakaki, was around, he made everyone smile with his dueling." Yuya's father, Yusho, disappeared around 5 years ago back when Yusho was scheduled to face Strong Ishijima for the Championship. No one had seen him since and Yuya and Mikleo were devastated by his disappearance especially Yuya who honestly was closer to Yusho than Mikleo was.

Gongenzaka also understands that Yuya is trying to forget the pain of his father leaving by joking around in his duels but he feels Yuya doesn't even remember how to entertain people properly anymore. Yuzu was looking at the both of them worryingly, Shuzo and Mikleo had a neutral expression on their faces as they watched this scene unfold. "Have you forgotten that Yusho made people smile from the heart?"

As Yuya was listening to Gongenzaka with a straight face, when he was done, Yuya then gave a small smile. "Well, maybe. But I'm not trying to be like my father."

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - BRIDGE_

 _Flashback (Around 5 years ago)_

 _Yuya was out on the bridge with his hanging over his eyes, crying his eyes out as he was still sad about his father disappearing around a year ago. Both he and his brother were the reasons he got into dueling in the first place and now one of them is gone. Yuya then heard footsteps and a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up and saw his 13 year old older brother (with black and red hair that had a similar hairstyle that Yuya has, although it was more brushed down) had a worried smile on his face._

" _Yuya, are you okay?" Mikleo knew Yuya wasn't fine since he was still sad about his father disappearing. Mikleo had managed to get over it slowly but still missed him. Yuya, however, was closer to Yusho than himself, Mikleo admits, so he's taking a bit harder than him. He feels that Yuya needs to let out his emotions a bit more in feel better about himself._

 _Yuya raised his goggles up to show his reddened red and green eyes at his brother and looked a little irritated at him. "Okay? Of course I'm not okay! My father is missing, people keep making fun of me because of him. It really sucks! I still believe in my father and Yuzu and Gongenzaka are trying to help me but it's not really working. I don't know what to do." As he was finished ranting, Yuya started to cry as tears were threatening to fall from his eyes. But then Mikleo gave Yuya a small hug and then released him to look at him straight in the eye._

" _Yuya, if you still believe in our father, then don't lose hope. If you want to follow in his footsteps, then you got to show people you are not just the son of our father Yusho Sakaki, but that you are a great duelist. And is able to make everyone have fun in dueling."_

 _Yuya looked at his brother with wide eyes amazed and surprised by what he said but then he questioned himself. "Do you really think I can do it?"_

 _Mikleo then patted Yuya on the head. "Of course. After all, you are my brother. I did taught you how to duel. If you practice and have fun while dueling, I'm sure you can do it. Just be yourself, Yuya. Find your own path as a duelist. Carve your own path in dueling."_

 _Flashback End._

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Yuzu and Gongenzaka then looked at him confused as he looked at his pendulum. "Sure my dad brought smiles with his dueling but that's his style not mine. I believe that dueling is for competition and fun. People should enjoy themselves while dueling with everything they believe in. For whatever reason he was smiling, he was enjoying himself. As long as he had fun, I don't care if he was laughing at me or not."

Yuzu and Gongenzaka were surprised and amazed by what he just said but then Yuya also said, "And besides, my dad ended up getting laughed at in the end anyway."

" _And...there's goes the moment."_ Mikleo was sighing as he was thinking about what Yuya just said with everything that has happened up until this point.

Yuzu and Gongenzaka were again shocked by Yuya just said but then the both of yelled, "Yuya!" Besides his brother, Yuya also had Yuzu and Gongenzaka to support him whenever he was being made fun of. Because Yusho disappeared during an important duel, people then assumed he was a coward and ran away. Since Yuya and Mikleo were the sons of Yusho they would always get teased and made fun of.

However, while Yuya did have Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and his brother to support him, Mikleo didn't need any help when he was bullied because then he would beat them up for mocking him until they were down and they never bothered him again. Mikleo always hated people like that and did not hesitate to do the same thing to protect his brother sometimes as well. " _Well, they'll find out sooner or later why he acts like this."_

Yuya was laughing right as Yuzu and Gongenzaka scolded him. "Haha, relax."

Just then, a man in a yellow and black suit with a red bowtie opened the door and walked into the room with everyone looking at him. "Oh my, looks like there's trouble."

Everyone was confused as to who this man was with Shuzo being to first to ask. "Umm, who are you?"

"I'm Nico Smiley, the current Action Duel champion Strong Ishijima's manager and promoter."

Yuya was looking a little surprised that this was Strong Ishijima's manager as he was reminded a little bit about his past. " _Strong Ishijima."_

Nico then sat down on one of couches as he was ready to explain. "Strong Ishijima is LDS's spokesman, and I'm inviting Yuya to attend duel him at his fan appreciation day.

Yuya was looking a little overwhelmed and nervous. "You're inviting me to duel Strong Ishijima?"

Nico was looking a little too happy as he was talking. "That's right! You can battle him! Your wish from five years ago will finally come true."

During the night Yusho was scheduled to face Ishijima, when he disappeared, Strong was calling out Yusho for being a coward. While in the stands of the stadium, Yuya was leaning towards the edge of the stands begging for him to take his father's place in this duel to defend his honor. Of course, he was being held back by his mother and brother and he never got the duel he wanted until right now that is.

As Yuya was reminded a little bit of what he wanted in the past, Nico presented everyone with a poster of Ishijima facing Yuya. "We already have everything prepared."

Yuya was a little nervous to actually face Ishijima but also felt like he was finally ready to face him with some confidence until Shuzo interrupted Nico with Yuya turning towards him. "No! I won't allow Yuya to participate."

Nico and Yuya were shocked by Shuzo just said, Nico more specifically. Nico was trying to figure out why Yuya can't duel. "Why? If Yusho Sakaki's son participates, the crowd will be very happy."

Shuzo then yelled at Nico, "I won't allow you to disgrace Yuya!" Yuya was surprised and a little touched by what Shuzo just said.

Shuzo clenched his fist with his eyes closed as he was also reminded of what Yuya had to go through. "You don't know how Yuya's been feeling these past three years! Just leave!" He wanted Nico to leave as he was thinking Nico just wanted Yuya to make Strong Ishijima look good.

"Well that's too bad. If you would have agreed, we were going to give you Leo Corporation's newest Real Solid Vision System as thanks. For free."

Shuzo then looked like he was ready to accept the offer. "Are you serious?" But then as he said that, Yuzu smack her father's head with a paper fan. "You just said that you wouldn't let them disgrace Yuya!" "But…" "I know this school is important, but…"

Gongenzaka then gave his thoughts. "What's important is how Yuya feels." Everyone then noticed that Yuya is gone with Yuzu wondering. "Where did he go?"

Mikleo then proceeded to walk out of the building but not before saying to everyone, "Don't worry, I know where he is."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - BRIDGE**

Yuya was sitting on the rails of the bridge with his goggles over his eyes staring at the swinging pendulum he was holding. He remembered one time when his father was comforting him when he was crying. He said these words to Yuya.

" _Laugh when you want to cry. Laugh with all of your might. While you're laughing, you'll actually become happy. That will give you energy. It's like a pendulum. The bigger it swings, the bigger it swings back. It's the same in a duel. If you get scared and cringe, you can't do anything. If you want to win, then have courage and step forward. That courage will return as happiness. Like a pendulum. A pendulum is also a tool for discovery. If you lose your way, this pendulum will point in the direction that you should go."_

Besides his brother, Yuya always remembered those his father told him before he vanished. " _Swing...Swing, pendulum. Bigger...Even bigger..."_

Mikleo then arrived at the bridge and saw his brother staring at his pendulum. He didn't really need to ask what Yuya was thinking. He already knew. He made his presence known by putting a hand on Yuya's shoulder. As Yuya turn to his brother, Mikleo was smiling.

"You're finally going to do it." "Yeah." "Remember what me and dad said and walk your own path." "Thanks, Mikleo." They both chuckled a bit. For some reason, Mikleo always preferred that Yuya always called him by his name instead of brother. " _I just like my name more."_ That was basically his only response as to what he preferred.

Both of them then stared off into the distance as they were still talking. "By the way, Yuya, are you finally going to do it?" "Yeah, after the duel with Ishijima, I can finally come out of my shell." "Just so you know, whatever happens, me and everyone else will be there for you. Now make us proud." Mikleo and Yuya then turn towards each other and shared a fist bump together. "You got it!"

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - DUELING ARENA (FAN APPRECIATION DAY)**

Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and Shuzo arrived inside the arena as they saw hundreds of people in the stands cheering and ready for the duel to get started. Nico was providing commentary for the audience.

"It's finally time for today's main event! Strong Ishijima's challenger is the legendary dueling star Yusho Sakaki's son, Yuya Sakaki!

Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and Shuzo were concerned for Yuya as they didn't know if he was going to accept the duel or not. Yuzu had her hand towards her heart. "Yuya…"

"Is he really going to show up?" Gongenzaka had always protected Yuya against bullies these past five years ever since his father vanished and sometimes even used his body as shield when bullies tried to beat up Yuya as they mocked him.

"Hooray! I'll get the Solid Vis-" Before Shuzo could finish that sentence, Yuzu smack her father across his head again with her fan again looking angry.

Meanwhile, Nico was still promoting the main event. "This special match will use official Action Duel rules. Activating the Field Magic: Frontier Fang Castle!"

The Solid Vision System proceeded to create the Action Field which almost felt real.

"Observe! It's so realistic that it can be mistaken for the real thing! This is LDS's Solid Vision System!" Once it was done, the field was now filled with a forest full of trees, stone pillars around the arena, and a stone castle in the middle of it.

Strong Ishijima made his presence known as he stomped onto the top of the castle balcony. The tall man with purple hair was wearing what looked an armor suit, black gloves and boots along with red paint across his face. "Whoa! Standing at the top of that castle is the Action Duel champion for the past six years! It's Strong Ishijima!" Ishijima roared out to the crowd showing his fierceness with the crowd showing support. "Facing this mighty champion is the young challenger, ladies and gentleman I give you...Yuya Sakaki!"

After Nico announced for Yuya, everyone waited for him to show up but as seconds passed he wasn't showing. Nico was looking concerned but then tried again. "Yuya, make your entrance!"

Everyone began wondering if Yuya was even going to show up; as Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and Shuzo were concerned, a few random guys nearby them then started talking.

"Did he run away?" "That's just like his dad five years ago." "Father and son are both cowards!"

As Yuzu was listening to them, her anger flared because of them bad mouthing Yuya. "Say what…!?" She was going to go to them and try to hit them before being stopped by Gongenzaka. "Don't, Yuzu." "But Gongenzaka..."

"Don't worry, Yuya will show up." All three turned to see Mikleo walking towards with a smirk across his face. "Yuya is just making it interesting." Yuzu then looked confused and worried at the entrance, wondering where Yuya was.

Nico looked worried while Strong gritted his teeth, "Looks like the son is big coward just like his father."

However moments later everyone heard a loud yell from above, "Hold on a minute!" All of them looked up at the top of the castle and were shocked as they saw Yuya as he jumped down from it."

Yuzu looked worried, "Yuya!" But then as Yuya was falling, two magicians appeared and proceeded to catch and carry Yuya downwards to Strong. The one to the left was Timegazer who was dressed in black with a yellow metal band around his waist, and over his shoulders, a black hat and brown spiky hair and a red mask that covered the lower part of his face. The other one was Stargazer who was dressed in white with a white hat and and white mask that cover the lower part of his face and blonde hair, he had a staff in his other hand and had a purple cape.

Yuya landed safely on the ground as his magicians began to vanish. "Thank you Stargazer and Timegazer." Both magicians then gave a bow to Yuya as they left.

Strong looked at Yuya with narrowed eyes, "So you're the son of Yusho Sakaki? You've got some nerve making us wait like that, for a moment we thought you wouldn't show up."

Yuya smiled as he bowed, "I apologize for my late arrival, but since I'm late anyways, I figured why not make up for it with a spectacular entrance."

Yuya then looked towards Strong with a confident smile, "And now, how about you show me the strength of a champion while we have fun in this exciting duel."

Yuya reactivated his duel disk and the energy blade appeared, Strong narrowed his eyes even more as he felt like he was being looked down upon by Yuya. "Show you my strength? Know your place you little brat! It looks I'm going to have to teach some discipline on how a pro duels."

Nico smiled as he spoke into the mike again, "Well that was unexpected but also exciting from Yuya just now! And now both duelists are here! Draw your first five cards to your hands!" Yuya and Strong both drew their first five cards.

Nico then spoke with excitement, "The duelists meet at the battlefield! Along with their monsters, they'll kick the ground and fly through the sky to move around the field! Feast your eyes on this to witness dueling's greatest evolution! Action…"

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **ISHIJIMA LP: 4000**

Nico snapped his fingers as Action Cards started spreading across the field. "Action Cards are dispersed on the field! Let the battle begin!"

Yuya smiled, he loved Action Duels, sure he learned not to rely on Action Cards too much thanks to his brother. But he always loved finding and grabbing any card you card in a random area with a small chance of turning the duel around. It always made dueling a little more fun and thrilling. Of course, you can only have one Action Card in your hand each time, but it just made it more thrilling.

Strong pointed at Yuya, "I'll let you go first. I'm feeling generous today." He said with a smirk.

Yuya smirked as well as he proceeded to start his turn, "As you wish, my turn! Draw!" He then turned his attention to the audience. "Ladies and Gentlemen, allow to show you all how fun a classic action duel can be."

Yuya jumped off the edge of the castle and grabbed onto a hook attached to a rope, sliding downwards toward one of the stone pillars. Strong was looking at him shocked, "What?" After he landed, Yuya continued his turn.

"And now for my first move, I summon Entermate Discover Hippo ( **ATK: 800** , DEF: 800, LV: 3)." A pink hippo with a pinkish-red shirt and a top hat appeared on Yuya's field.

After Hippo was summoned, Yuya jumped onto his back and turned towards Strong again. "Let's see if you can catch me. I end my turn by setting a card face down." Yuya set a set as he ended his turn and then rode Hippo as it proceeded to run off into the forest.

One of the people look shocked as he saw this, "He's running away already?" Another person looked at Yuya with a mocking smile, "Well for the son of a coward, he sure runs fast."

Tatsuya was also in the stadium with his mother as he watched with wonder and curiosity by Yuya was doing.

Yuzu was looking at Yuya a little frustrated, "What is Yuya doing?" Gongenzaka was also wondering the same thing, "He should face him boldly, not running around like that." Mikleo had an unreadable expression on his face as he watching Yuya.

Strong had his gaze following Yuya as he rode on Hippo. "It won't be long before I catch you. My turn! Draw!"

"I activate the Magic Card: Feast of the Wild LV5! It allows me to Special Summon two Warrior-type monsters from my hand by negating their effects! I summon Barbarian #1 **(ATK: 1550** , DEF: 1800, LV: 5) and Barbarian #2 ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 1500, LV: 5)! Next I release both of them to Tribute Summon the monster that will crush you."

"From the depths of the dense forest, throw down the giant trees and show yourself! The barbarian king that rules the savage kingdom! Barbarian King! ( **ATK: 3000** , DEF: 1100, LV: 8)"

"There it is! Ishijima's ace monster has arrived!" The audience was roaring with excitement since Barbarian King showed up.

"Your dad may have escaped me, but I won't let you escape! Battle! Barbarian King attack Entermate Discover Hippo!

Yuya grabbed an Action Card that was inside a bush nearby. "Lucky! I got an Action Card! Action Magic: Evasion! Your attack is negated! Rolling Hippo!" Yuya activated his action card so Hippo rolled out of the way of the attack.

Gongenzaka looked at Yuya frustrated, "He can't win just by avoiding attacks. Why won't he fight back.."

However Gongenzaka stopped when he heard a voice spoke behind him, "He is fighting back Gongenzaka." All four of them turned around and saw a blonde haired woman walking towards them. She was wearing a green shirt with blue jeans and her hair was tied into a ponytail.

Shuzo looked at her, "Yoko." The woman's name was Yoko Sakaki and she was Yuya and Mikleo's mother. She looked at her son and smiled. "Yuya is reinventing himself while dueling out there." The others except for Mikleo, who smiled at his mother for knowing what's going on, looked confused as they didn't understand what she meant by that.

Meanwhile, Yuya was still riding Hippo while smirking at Barbarian King who was chasing him.

Strong looked at Yuya, "Properly and skillfully using Action Cards. I expect nothing less from Yusho Sakaki's son. Professionals, however, are able to go beyond that. I activate Barbarian King's effect! Since I used Barbarian Monsters to Tribute Summon Barbarian King, it can attack twice each Battle Phase!"

"What?" Yuya was surprised as he didn't know about Barbarian King's effect. Barbarian King proceeded to attack Hippo again by slamming it's club down at it. Yuya gritted his teeth as he activated his face down before Barbarian's attack could fully connect. The force from the attack created a small explosion for a few seconds.

Nico looked excited, "Amazing! Barbarian King annihilated Discover Hippo...or not!"

Yuya appeared out of the explosion along with Hippo still on the field. "What?" Strong was confused as to how Hippo was still on the field with a large bubble around it.

 **YUYA LP: 4000→2900**

"Phew. That was close. I activated the Trap Card: Half Unbreak which prevents my monster from being destroyed by battle this turn and the damage I take is halved."

The one person that made the comment earlier about Yuya running was looking amazed, "A-Amazing!" The one next to him also looked excited and amazed, "He's fighting well against the champion!"

Strong gritted his teeth and then huffed. "Fine. I set one card and end my turn."

At the same time, Yuzu was looking at Yoko, "Auntie Yoko, what do you mean by Yuya is reinventing himself?"

Yoko was looking at Yuya with a smile, "For the past five years, Yuya has been living off the mask of a clown, he made sure to make fun of himself before people made fun of him for his father running away. We all know know him best that he wouldn't have disappeared unless it was for a good reason, but no one else does which is why they made fun of Yuya and Mikleo."

Yoko's smile got even bigger, "But even though Yuya may joke around sometimes, he really does want to be a strong duelist. Both as a pro and like his father who entertained people with his dueling. He wants to find his own path in dueling."

Mikleo smirked at his mom, "Well mom, it's no surprise that you've figured out that much. However, there is another reason you're overlooking as to why Yuya acts like this." The other four turned towards Mikleo as he said this.

Yoko looked towards her other son confused, "Oh? What would that be?"

Mikleo turned back towards the duel, "You'll find out later."

Meanwhile, Yuya was looking towards Strong, " _He's a powerful duelist alright. I wanted to save Half Unbreak for later but he force me to use now. Oh well, I won't let that stop me!"_

"My turn! Draw! I activate the Magic Card: Pot of Greed! I draw two cards!"

Yuya looked towards his hand and smiled at what he drew, " _Perfect."_

Hippo jumped onto a stone circle and Yuya turned his attention to the audience once again, "Now everyone, we're almost at the climax of this duel. Entermate Discover Hippo counts as 2 Monsters when I use it to Tribute Summon." Hippo jumped into the air with Yuya jumping off of him as Hippo was being released.

"Mighty dragon with heterochromatic eyes as my own, give way to a new arc of victory! Level 7! Odd-Eyes Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7)!"

Yuya landed onto Odd-Eyes's back as he shouted out, "The fun has just begun!" Tatsuya was smiling happily in the audience with his mother as he watched Yuya duel.

Shuzo got an excited look on his face, "There it is, Yusho's famous catchphrase! My blood is boiling hot right now with excitement!" Yoko looked at her son with a soft smile, " _You've been waiting for this moment forever."_ Mikleo was satisfied as he saw his brother was having fun, " _That's it, Yuya. Show them what you're made of."_

Strong looked at Yuya amused, "Using the same line as your coward of a father huh?" A video image of Yuya appeared on his duel disk and Yuya glared at him, "My father is _not_ a coward!" Strong looked at him shocked, "What?"

Yuya clenched his fist before pointing at Strong, "I'm going to beat you in order to defend my father's honor. By using the skills him and my brother taught me!"

Strong narrowed his eyes as he glared at Yuya, "Hmph. And how are you going to that? Your dragon only has 2500 ATK while my Barbarian King has 3000. It can't beat my monsters.

Yuya smirked at Strong, "I wonder about that. Now I activate the Continuous Magic Card: Wonder Balloons." A box with a question mark on all of its sides appeared near Yuya.

Yuya started finding and grabbing 3 Action Cards and sent them to the graveyard. Nico was getting exciting while announcing, "Just look at Yuya, he is getting Action Cards one after another and sending them to the graveyard."

After Yuya was done, he pointed toward the box, "Now then, once per turn, I can send as many cards as I want to the graveyard. And then Wonder Balloons gains a Balloon Counter for every card I sent." Yuya pointed towards Barbarian King, "Finally, by sending Wonder Balloons to the graveyard, I can select one monster on the field and it loses 1000 ATK for every balloon counter that was on this card until the end of the turn."

Yuya snapped his fingers and the balloons blew up in smoke. Once the smoke is cleared, Barbarian King is shown to be trapped inside balloons while he struggled to get out. "3 balloons have popped and that means Barbarian King now has 0 ATK!"

 **Barbarian King (ATK: 3000→0)**

Nico looked shocked, "W-What a twist! I've never seen Action Cards used like that before." The crowd was also cheering for what just happened.

Strong looked at Yuya while he narrowed his eyes a little, "You can only have 1 Action Card at a time. 'You weren't just running around, you were looking for where Action Cards might be for this strategy."

Yuya nodded as he stared at his pendulum, "I've always been good at finding things even for Action Cards."

The two who made comments about Yuya earlier were watching this amazed seeing now Yuya had the advantage, "A-Amazing, he pressuring the champion!" All of the audience began to cheer and applaud for Yuya.

Yuya looked around with a smile when he heard the cheers and applause, " _This is what it feel like to be in dad's shoes. It feels awesome. These are the kind of duels I love"_ he thought as he closed his eyes to let it all sink in.

Yuya opened his eyes and had a confident smile on his face. He looked at Odd-Eyes, "Let's go Odd-Eyes, let's give it all we got!" Odd-Eyes let a roar, " _You got it, Yuya!"_ Yuya nodded as he was only one who could hear him or so he thought but Mikleo also heard Odd-Eyes and gave off a smirk to the dragon.

For many years, Yuya has been able to hear some of his monsters speak ever since he was a child. Of course the others don't know about but Yuya thinks that if he tells them then they might think he's crazy. Yuya and Odd-Eyes always had a strong bond with each other especially since they can fully communicate with each other.

"When Odd-Eyes Dragon destroys a monster by battle, you take damage equal to half of its original attack points!" Yuya explained what Odd-Eyes effect is as the dragon prepared to attack.

Strong looked surprised as he heard the effect and then narrowed his eyes, "Half of Barbarian King's original attack points is 1500. If I lose another 2500 points from Odd-Eyes's attack, that's 4000 points of damage!" Strong just realised that he was in trouble once Odd-Eyes attacks.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "With this, I can end this in one move. Battle! Odd-Eyes Dragon attack Barbarian King! Spiral Flame!" " _Spiral Flame!"_ Odd-Eyes also announced his own attack as he unleashed a power stream of flames towards Barbarian King who was helpless and a massive explosion happened the moment attack connected.

The audience cheered as they saw this as they believed the duel was over. Shuzo got really excited, "I'm burning inside, he won!" Yuzu and Gongenzaka both got excited as well as both of them yelled, "Yuya did it!" Mikleo, however, was still skeptical with a frown on his face as the Action Field hadn't disappeared yet. " _It's not over."_

Yuya had a smile on his face since he believe he won the match, however his eyes widened as the smoke cleared and Barbarian King was still on the field roaring and trapped inside the balloons. "What?" " _How?!"_ Odd-Eyes was a little upset he couldn't get the job done for his partner.

Shuzo had tears of shock and disbelief in his eyes, Yuzu and Gongenzaka also looked shocked and confused, "W-Why? Why is Barbarian King still...?"

Yuya looked and saw that Strong, who was sweating with a relieved look on his face, had a activated a card, "I also activated a Action Card as well, Miracle!" Yuya's eyes widened since he knew what that Action Card was.

Strong looked at Yuya and had a smirk on his face again, "This card negates destruction by battle and halves the damage I take!"

 **ISHIJIMA LP: 4000→2750**

Strong jumped down from where he was standing to a lower spot, "This is as far as you go with Yusho Sakaki's dueling. Since I took battle damage, I activate the **Continuous Trap: Barbarian Rage**! I can increase the attack points on one Barbarian monster I control by 2000!" Barbarian King roared,

 **Barbarian King (ATK: 0→2000)**

Yuya gritted his teeth as his plan failed. " _Don't worry Yuya."_ Yuya downwards toward his dragon, " _We will get him next turn."_ Odd-Eyes turned his head toward Yuya. He was confident that he and his partner can still win this. Yuya smiled a little bit as he shared Odd-Eyes's belief and nodded as well. "I set a card and end my turn." Yuya ended his turn after placing a face down.

Nico then spoke, "Now that Yuya's turn is over, Wonder Balloon's effect ends as well and Barbarian King's ATK return to normal!" The moment he said that Barbarian King broke free of the balloons, roaring as he regained its strength.

 **Barbarian King (ATK: 2000→5000)**

Yuzu looked worried, "Not only did Barbarian King regain its strength but it's even stronger than before now." Gongenzaka looked at Yuya worried, his strategy was perfect, it was just bad luck that Strong had an Action Card to save himself. Mikleo didn't show it, but he was also concerned for his little brother as well.

Strong looked at Yuya with a smirk, "This is as far as you go, Sakaki. My turn! Draw!"

Yuya gritted his teeth as he had Odd-Eyes turn around and saw an Action Card, but before Yuya could reach it, "I won't let you escape! Battle! Barbarian King attack Odd-Eyes Dragon!"

Yuya was busy trying to get the Action Card that he didn't notice Barbarian King getting closer and raising his club. By the time he did notice, the club was already halfway heading towards him and Odd-Eyes. It looked like Yuya was going to get hit by it until, " _Yuya! Look out!"_ Odd-Eyes threw Yuya off his back and landed with a thud. While Yuya was flying, he managed to activate his face down as the attack continue. Yuya then saw Odd-Eyes being smashed by the club and destroyed. Odd-Eyes saved Yuya by moving him out the way of the attack.

Yuya was surprised and thankful for his partner, " _Thank you Odd-Eyes."_ Yuya looked towards Strong. Suddenly, a small blast of energy charged at Strong and hit him who was taken aback.

 **YUYA LP: 2900→400  
** **ISHIJIMA LP: 2750→250**

Strong was confused, how did he take damage? "Why was I dealt damage?" Yuya was breathing heavily as he showed his trap. "I activated the **T** rap Card: Cross Damage in which if I take battle damage, you take the same amount of damage as well.

Strong gritted his teeth but then smirked again, "Clever. Unfortunately, I have another Action Card. I activated the Action Magic: Life Fruit. If I take damage, I regain LP equal to half of the damage I just took!"

 **ISHIJIMA LP: 250→1500**

Yuya was a little irritated, " _Great."_ He had a plan to end it on his next turn but now that Strong has more life points it won't work.

Strong pointed towards Yuya, "Now then, due to Barbarian Rage's effect, your dragon that was destroyed returns to your hand instead of the graveyard." Yuya added Odd-Eyes back to his hand. "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Barbarian Magic. I regain LP equal to half of the attack points of Odd-Eyes Dragon that was returned to your hand!"

 **ISHIJIMA LP: 1500→2750**

Yuzu and Gongenzaka looked worried for Yuya, "He regain most of his life points back!"

Strong looked at Yuya mockingly while Yuya was glaring at Strong, "You are lucky. Barbarian King can only attacks monsters twice. I set one card and end my turn."

"I admit you did better than I thought you would but you never stood a chance to begin with." Strong refused to admit that he would have lost the duel if he hadn't had Miracle.

"It's your turn. Draw. Or will you surrender? Will you run away like your dad?"

Yuya narrowed his eyes at Strong and then look down towards his hand. " _I'll never surrender. I may only have monsters in my hand but that won't stop me!"_ Yuya made a promise to his brother in the past.

Yuya said this to Mikleo one time, " _Just you wait, Mikleo! Someday I'll be as great of a duelist as you! I'll become a pro and have fun dueling with others!"_

As Yuya was looking at his hand, Yuzu had her hand toward her heart concerned, "Yuya…" Shuzo and Gongenzaka were showing concern as well. Yoko seemed unfazed as she knew Yuya would bounce back because he is her and Yusho's son. Mikleo was looking at Yuya as if he was waiting for something. " _Come on, Yuya. I know you win this. You always bounce back whenever you're down."_

Yuya admits the situation looked grim but if there's one thing his brother taught him, it's that a duel isn't over until the last card is played and life points are at 0. As long as he believes in his dueling, he will keep on fighting. Yuya closed his eyes for a second to take a moment to breathe but then…

" _ **Do you want to win?"**_

* * *

 _UNKNOWN SPACE - YUYA'S MINDSCAPE_

A very deep voice was heard inside Yuya's head. He opened his eyes in shock wondering who that was but then saw where he was at.

Yuya was inside an empty space that was light blue all over the place and also what looked pendulums with many different colors that looked similar to his own were hanging in thin air and swinging. There was also what looked like yellow streams of energy floating and flowing all around the area.

Yuya was then hearing a mysterious melody as he was looking around where he was. It had a light rhythm with chimes in the background. Yuya didn't know where he was or what he was hearing. " _Where I am?"_

" _ **You have been chosen."**_

Yuya's eyes widened as he looked around for the source of that voice but couldn't find it. " _It's that voice."_ But then Yuya was confused, "What do you mean I'm chosen?"

" _ **You have been chosen to wield a great new power."**_

"New power? What new power? "What is this place?" As Yuya kept hearing the voice, he was determining that the voice sounded a little like a female's voice but still didn't know who it was.

" _ **It is a sacred area only allowed by the Will of the Pendulum."**_

"Will of the Pendulum?" What is she talking about? The voice kept on speaking.

" _ **Those gifted with the Pendulum acquire new powers. And you have been chosen as the new wielder."**_

"Me? Why me?" Yuya still didn't have any idea of what she was talking about but it sounded important to him. He wondered why he of all people was "chosen".

" _ **Those with a pure heart as well as a strong will have power to change everything."**_

"What do you "everything"?" It sounded like whoever this voice belonged to was asking for his help.

" _ **With the new power you'll recieve, you'll be able to change everything. I wish you good luck."**_

The voice seemed to be finished talking as the presence felt was slipping away. Yuya, however, had more questions. "Wait! What do you mean I'm chosen and what power are you talking about?!" As was about to talk more, his pendulum began to glow and floated from his neck. He was shocked that his pendulum was floating and stared at it wonder what it was doing. The pendulum produced a beam of light directed toward Yuya's chest while Yuya was in pain screaming a little bit.

"Ahhhh…!"

 _End of Dreamscape_

* * *

Yuya opened his eyes as he was sweating a little bit. He looked around and saw he was back inside the stadium with still dueling Strong. " _Was that a dream?"_ Yuya was wondering what he just saw. His pendulum was back over his neck with the glow fading a little bit.

Strong was looking at Yuya a little impatient, "Come on already, start your turn! Or you too scared to duel anymore?"

Yuya was focused again as he glared at Strong, "No! I won't surrender! I never give up on a duel!"

For some reason, Yuya's mind was brought back to something his dad once said, " _The bigger it swings, the bigger it swings back. If you want to win, then have courage and step forward!"_

Yuya proceeded to draw his card in the way of an arc formation, "Swing, pendulum! Bigger! Even bigger!"

Yuya's pendulum was glowing again and so was some of his cards. Yuya was looking at them in shock wondering what was happening. His Odd-Eyes and Magician cards then transformed into what looked like they were half orange at the top and green at the bottom. In the card picture, his Odd-Eyes looked like it had a different form than before.

" _What? What happened to my cards?!"_ Yuya was taken aback by how his cards were changing as he didn't what was happening. " _What kind of cards are these?"_ Yuya had never seen this type of cards before. But then, something inside was telling Yuya how to use them in this duel.

Yuya was confused but then looked determined, " _I don't know what's going on but I know I need to believe! Let's see what these cards can do!"_

As his pendulum's glow began to fade, Yuya began a chant, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician!"

Yuya placed both cards on the far left and right of his duel disk and the space between spelled "PENDULUM". Stargazer and Timegazer appeared on the field glowing in a mysterious light as they were inside blue pillars of energy with the numbers 1 and 8 in front of them.

"And now I can summon monsters between Level 2 and 7 simultaneously!"

Strong was confused by what Yuya was doing, "What is happening?"

As Yuya began his chant, a giant pendulum was hanging from the sky swinging back and forth between Stargazer and Timegazer. "Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light in the sky! Pendulum Summon! Come on out! Entermate Whip Viper ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 900, LV: 4), Odd-Eyes Magician ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1500, LV: 6, PS: 8), and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7, PS: 4)!

The pendulum drew an arc in the sky which opened a portal and three monsters appeared. One was a purple snake with a top hat. Another was a magician that had heterochromatic eyes like Yuya, wore a red hat, had brown hair, dressed in red with black boots and belt, had a green cape, and also wielded a staff that was shaped like a spear. Finally, the third one was a dragon with heterochromatic eyes, was a little large than his original form, had colored spheres on his head and back body parts, and also had what looked a blue-colored jewel sticking out of its chest with armor around it.

Everyone was shocked as what they just saw. Shuzo was speechless, Yoko and Mikleo were surprised, Yuzu and Gongenzaka were in shock and wonder, "What.." "...is this?"

Yuya had a confident smirk on his face again but on the inside he was also confused. " _Pendulum Summon?"_ He looked toward his duel disk and saw the cards he placed. " _...What did I just do?!"_ Before Yuya could question further, his Odd-Eyes roared, " _I don't know Yuya but I feel more powerful!"_ And then his magician decided to speak, " _I don't know either but I say we take advantage Master Yuya!"_ Yuya nodded smirking toward his monsters, " _Whatever this power is, I like it already!"_

Strong was looking at Yuya's monsters confused, "Three monsters at the same time? And that magician and dragon are Level 6 and 7! He shouldn't be able to summon high-level monsters without tributing!" A video image of Nico appeared on Strong's duel disk, "But...since there are no error messages in the system, that means…" "That means his summoning is legal?" Strong glared at Yuya's monsters wondering how this was possible.

Yuya did a quick double at his monsters and noticed that most of them had their effects changed for some reason and also, " _What is this Pendulum Effect?"_ Yuya then looked towards Barbarian King. " _Ah, whatever. I'll figure out later."_ Since he saw what monsters he brought on the field, he knew what he had to do.

Yuzu was still confused as to what Yuya did, "Pendulum Summon? I've never seen Yuya do that before and doesn't Odd-Eyes look different than before?" Gongenzaka was stumped as well, "Me neither. No one else knows."

* * *

 **LEO CORPORATION**

Men and women were sitting at large computer screens suddenly saw a massive amount of summoning energy, "We have a high level of summon activity from the seafront of the city."

A man above them looked down on them, "Hurry up and analyze it now." The men and women nodded and began to analyze the information. A woman then spoke up, "We have the result! The summoning method is...Pendulum!"

The man above them looked shocked as he heard that, "Pendulum Summon?" He had never heard about this summoning method before, he then decided to report this to his boss.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - DUELING ARENA**

Yuya got onto Odd-Eyes's back, "Entermate Whip Viper's effect activates! It swaps your monster's attack and defense points!"

 **Barbarian King (ATK: 5000→1100)**

"Barbarian King's attack points decreased!" Strong was taken aback by his monster was getting weaker.

"And now Odd-Eyes Magician's effect activates! When it is on the field, all Pendulum Monsters I control gain 500 ATK!"

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (ATK: 2500→3000)  
** **Odd-Eyes Magician (ATK: 2300→2800)**

Nico then announced excitedly, "In a shocking turn of events, Odd-Eyes is now the strongest monster on the field!"

"Battle! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack Barbarian King! Show us your true power!"

"I won't let you! I activate the Trap Card: Barbarian Howling! The attacking monster returns to your hand, and you take damage equal to its attack points!"

For a moment, Yuya thought that he was in trouble but then he noticed his magicians, that are in his pendulum zone, glowing. He took a second before he finally understood.

"Sorry but you can't. Timegazer Magician's Pendulum Effect activates! When a Pendulum Monster attacks, you're not allowed to activate Trap Cards until the end of the damage step! Inverse Gear Wise!"

"Damn! In that case..." Strong was getting desperate as he saw an Action Card and had no choice but to use it. "Action Magic: Evasion!"

"Stargazer Magician's Pendulum Effect activates! When a Pendulum Monster attacks, you're not allowed to activate Spell Cards until the end of the damage step! Horoscope Divination!"

"I can't use Action Cards either?!" Strong was panicking as he had nothing left to protect himself.

"Now, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack Barbarian King! Spiral Strike Burst!"

"Damn! This is bad... _Once Barbarian King is destroyed, Odd-Eyes Magician can attack me directly and I'll lose!_ "

"This duel is over now! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect activates! When it is battling a monster, battle damage inflicted to my opponent is doubled! Reaction Force!" Odd-Eyes's attack grew more powerful as it blasted through Barbarian King.

"D-Doubled?! But that means..." Barbarian King was destroyed and the shockwave of the explosion pushed Strong backwards as he landed on his back.

 **ISHIJIMA LP: 2750→0**

 **YUYA: WIN  
** **ISHIJIMA: LOSE**

Odd-Eyes roared, " _That's how we do it."_ Yuya who was sitting on Odd-Eyes's neck was smiling, "And that's the end."

The Action Field disappeared as everyone stood silent wondering what just happened. Yuzu and Gongenzaka were almost speechless, "Did he win?" "Yeah."

Nico was silent as well but then snapped out of it and lifted his mike, "T-The winner is...Yuya Sakaki!"

The audience then snapped out of their shock and began to cheer as Yuya's monsters disappeared but not before bowing and Yuya landed on the stadium floor.

* * *

 **Wow! Honestly, when I was making this chapter, I didn't expect it to take this long but I'm happy with what it turned. For everyone reading this, what did y'all think? I want to know because this is my first story and I honestly need some feedback.**

 **I hope y'all liked the small changes I made to Yuya's duel with Strong. I only wanted to make it a little more interesting though maybe I could done better. I can try again in the next duel.**

 **I'm going in a different direction in regards to the overall story of Arc-V but I think it will still be similar. As for what they are, you'll just have to wait and see. I did say that Yuya might be a little different in this story but also similar. What did y'all think?**

 **By the way, in case you didn't notice, some of the monsters I used the OCG effects instead of the anime effects. Mainly depends on which ones are better or might use both. But honestly, this is not mainly stuck to the anime.**

 **Remember, I don't really have a schedule for making these so if you're interested in my story then you might have to be patient. I apologize.**

* * *

 **Oh yeah! Here are the OC cards that were used in this duel. Whenever I do OCs I'll post them in the bottom. By the way, Odd-Eyes Magician is my way of giving Yuya like a secondary monster similar to Yusei's Junk Warrior or Yusaku's Decode Talker.**

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Life Fruit** (Action Magic): When you take damage this turn, regain LP equal to half of the damage you just took.

 **Odd-Eyes Magician  
** (LV: 6, Spellcaster, DARK, ATK: 2300, DEF: 1500, PS: 8)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, during either players' turn, you can target 1 "Entermate", "Magician" or "Odd-Eyes" Pendulum Monster you control; until the end of this turn, that monster is unaffected by your opponent's card effects and cannot be destroyed by battle. Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 "Magician" or "Odd-Eyes" Monster from your Graveyard.  
 _Monster Effect:_ While this card is face-up on the field, increase the ATK of every Pendulum Monster you control by 500. Once per turn, if you activate a card effect from your Pendulum Zone; you can draw 1 card.

* * *

 **Like or please review this chapter ~**


	2. New Beginnings and Duels

**Alright, here's the second chapter. I was honestly having a little trouble with what I exactly wanted to happen in this one but I think it all worked out. Plus I was having a little fun making the duel and the OC cards you're about to see.**

 **Also thank you to everyone who reviewed my story so far. I really appreciate the feedback. Here's some of my responses to what you all said to me in the reviews for Chapter 1.**

 **Missingmoney- First of all, thank you for mentioning Action Cards that were in the manga because I wasn't even aware of that until after reading your review. As far as Action Cards are concerned, I'm going to be honest, I'm trying to decide if I should even use Action Cards for this story or the duel with Strong was just a one time thing. I agree that Yuya relies TOO MUCH on Action Cards (which is why I'm not going to have him rely on them a lot) and about how they were handled in the anime later on. The whole subject of Action Duels makes me think that maybe I shouldn't even use this type of dueling down the road. Honestly, I didn't really think about it until just now so we'll see what happens. Personally, I don't really care if Action Cards are used or not as long as they're done right but I'm more or less leaning towards not using them. If I decide not to use Action Duels/Cards, then I'm going to figure out a way to arrange the duels a bit better.**

 **Raychiu- Well...maybe. I'm not exactly sure yet. That's all I'm going to say.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - New Beginnings and Duels**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - DUELING ARENA**

As the audience was cheering for Yuya, when he landed on the floor, he was looking a little overwhelmed at the audience showing support. He turned his head towards his mom and the others. They were waving at him with excited and happy smiles on their faces as his mom yelled out.

"You won Yuya, you defeated Strong Ishijima. Well done, Yuya!" Yuzu showed her support, "You were awesome, Yuya!" Gongenzaka was happy for his best friend, "You did it!" Shuzo was crying tears of joy, "Whoaaa! His blood was boilin'!" Mikleo gave his brother a thumbs up, "Good job, little bro!"

Yuya had a smile on his face as he saw the closest people in his life showing support. He looked around the audience as they cheered for him with confetti flying everywhere.

The guys that had mocked Yuya before were also showing their support, "That was rad, Yuya!" "To think that he won against the champion!"

Tatsuya had a happy and admiring expression on his face, since he saw that Yuya won, as other people around him were speaking, "That was pretty cool, huh? A lot of monster came out!" "I've never seen something like that!"

Yuya then saw Strong sitting up, "Hey Strong, are you okay?" Strong sat up slowly as he rubbed his head, "Dammit, what was…" Strong was interrupted as Nico ran past him, accidently hitting him.

Nico was excited as he ran towards Yuya, who was still looking a little overwhelmed, and grabbed his hands, "Bravo! Excellent! Congratulations! That was a spectacular victory, Yuya- _kun_!" Nico pointed his mike towards Yuya, "Can you please tell us about that fascinating new summoning method you used to win?"

Yuya sweatdropped a little bit, "Oh. Uhh…" Yuya didn't know how to answer that question as he was still confused as to what just happened. He remembered what happened to him but he didn't know how to explain it.

* * *

 **LEO CORPORATION (LDS)**

A young man with a red scarf walked into the main office of the school, he was the young CEO of the school and Leo Corporation, Reiji Akaba. He sat down in his chair as his right man, Nakajima, walked over to the desk with a touchpad. "Mr. President, we identified the boy."

A screen came down and showed images of Yuya, "His name is Yuya Sakaki. 16 years old. He's an tenth grade student in the Miami School System. He's classified as a Junior Youth in terms of dueling. Here are his tournament results up until now."

Reiji looked at the screen with his hands under his chin and narrowed his eyes, "A roughly 50% win-lose ratio…?" He was a little suspicious by what he was looking at especially with this new " _Pendulum Summoning_." "Where does he duel?"

Nakajima looked at his notes, "For what I've gathered, it seems he is going to a duel school called "You Show Duel School". It's in the city."

Reiji looked at him, "You Show Duel School…" He then looked at the screen again, "You said his name was Yuya Sakaki." Reiji was looking at the image like he knows Yuya, " _Can it be who I think it is?"_ Nakajima nodded his head, "That's right, he's the son of Yusho Sakaki."

Reiji looked down on his desk, " _Yusho Sakaki. So the son of the man who disappeared five years ago has performed a new summoning method along with these Pendulum Monsters as well. Yuya Sakaki...Yes, I remember him now."_

Reiji stood up from his desk and looked at his right hand man, "Nakajima, I want you to investigate his personal life immediately and report to me anything you can find out about this Pendulum Summoning method, no matter how trivial it may be."

His right man bowed to him, "As you wish sir, I will get to it right away." He then left the office while Reiji continued looking at images of Yuya. " _This new summoning method might even help us in the upcoming battle. We don't have much time since we don't know when an attack may be coming. We have to find out more we can about this Pendulum Summoning by any means necessary."_ He was then bothered by something, " _50% win-lose ratio...Yuya, have you not grown at all?"_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

Later in the day, Yuya was basically avoiding the paparazzi when they were asking about his new "Pendulum Summoning". He would either dodge the question or answer them with, "Sorry, but it is hard to explain." He couldn't just straight out tell anybody what happened. That he basically had his cards transformed after having a mysterious dream and he miraculously knew how to use them right. No one would believe him so he choose not to tell the truth at least for right now until he can figure this out.

Yuya was in his room on his bed with Yuzu and Mikleo sitting in chairs and Yuzu looked at Yuya, "Seriously Yuya, what happened out there? What was this Pendulum Summoning you just did?"

Yuya looked at Yuzu, "I don't know what to tell you, Yuzu. I just had these cards in my deck since the duel and I just learned how to use them. I don't know why some of my monsters into something called Pendulum Monsters." Yuya somewhat told Yuzu the truth. He felt really guilty for lying to his brother and Yuzu but until he could figure this out he decided to tell know one about the dream he saw. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, he trusted them both with his life, but it's just he needs more information before giving it out to others and that they possibly wouldn't believe him. " _I mean really who would believe that I was "chosen" to have these cards. What was that anyway?"_

Seeing the look on Yuya's face was telling her that he wasn't telling the whole truth but looked just as confused as her so she decided not to pry for right now. She smiled at him, "Don't worry about it too much, Yuya. I'm sure we are going to find out what happened sooner or later. Also think about it, you created a new summoning method, you should be proud Yuya."

Yuya smiled at her and nodded, " _She's right. I used an awesome new summoning method that no one had ever seen and it was powerful...huh?"_ Yuya was looking at some of his cards and noticed that some of their effects had the phrase, " _Face-up Pendulum Monster in the Extra Deck. What does that mean?"_ Yuya didn't have a clue what it was talking about.

Mikleo stood up and walked towards Yuya and kneeled down, "Can I see these cards?" Yuya nodded and showed them to Mikleo and Yuzu who also walked towards to them see his cards. They both saw that these Pendulum Monsters almost looked like regular monsters except the bottom of the cards were colored green as well that's usually for a Magic card. Mikleo was looking at them with an unreadable expression, " _So these are called Pendulum Monsters_."

Yuzu seemed interested in them as well, "They do look pretty cool, Yuya. I can't wait to see how they work." Yuya nodded at her. Mikleo left Yuya and Yuzu alone with each other as he looked like he was pondering about something. Yuya and Yuzu continued to talk about what happened today for a couple more hours.

LATER IN THE NIGHT

Mikleo was sleeping while he moved around a bit, he was having a weird dream.

* * *

UNKNOWN SPACE - MIKLEO'S DREAM

Mikleo looked around to where he at: empty space. There was nothing here but black darkness. " _Where am I?"_ He was wondering why he was here.

Suddenly a bright light illuminated the entire area and Mikleo was blinded for a few seconds before covering his eyes. After a few seconds, the light was starting to dim a little bit so Mikleo started to move his hands out of the way to see the source of the light. His eyes widened by what he was seeing, in the middle of the bright light there was a silhouette of what looked like a woman but it was too bright that Mikleo couldn't see who it was.

From what Mikleo could gather, the silhouette actually looked someone made of energy but it only showed the shape of the body not the face so he still couldn't tell who it was although it looked the shape had pigtails but he wasn't sure. The silhouette looked like it opened its mouth as she was looking at Mikleo who had a perplexed look on his face. She ran towards Mikleo and gave him a hug while Mikleo was shocked by what this "person" was doing. It was faint but Mikleo could a voice from her while she was hugging him.

" _Mikleo! I'm so happy to see that you're alive!"_ It seemed like she knew him and was happy to see him.

Mikleo was still confused especially with what he just heard. " _Do I know her?"_ Mikleo can't remember although, for some reason, he was getting this feeling that he heard that voice before. "Who are you? How do you know me?"

This person stopped hugging him as she stood in front of him. It looked like she was a little sad. " _So you don't remember me. That's okay. I expected that. I'm just glad you're okay."_ After she finished speaking, it looked like she was getting farther away from Mikleo's perspective.

Mikleo felt his legs move on their own as he chasing after her, "Wait! Come back!"

" _Goodbye Mikleo. Don't worry we will meet again. I promise."_

 _End of Dreamscape_

* * *

Mikleo woke up feeling a little bit sweating after waking up from the weird dream. He was confused by what he saw. " _Who was that? And why did she seem familiar?"_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - STREETS**

Yuya was running towards You Show Duel School as he was running a little late for his duel with Yuzu that he promised. He heard that many people were heading there to apply for the school. It was probably because of Yuya's duel with Strong and the fact that he used an unknown summoning method that many people wanted to see it again. Also, because he dueled Strong, You Show got a brand new Solid Vision System that he wanted to try out. He was almost a few minutes away from the school but then he heard something,

"Why don't you idiots just leave me alone?" Yuya stopped and turned his head towards wherever that voice just came from. Yuya saw three people in the middle of a field with a steel gate around. There were two guys and one girl. The two guys looked a little bigger than Yuya and muscular with average pants, boots and shirts. One guy had a blue shirt on while the other had a red shirt. However, Yuya then saw the girl who had her back facing him but he saw that she had bright orange hair with red tips, had a blue ribbon tying her hair into a ponytail, had a purple cardigan jacket around her, blue pants and brown boots on her.

Yuya got a little closer to them as he was listening to what they were saying, "Listen, sweetie. We just wanted to see what the great Chihaya Kotona was really like. What we're seeing is just all talk." Yuya narrowed his eyes a bit, " _Chihaya Kotona?"_ Why did that sound familiar to him but before he could think about it a bit more, he saw the girl called Chihaya was walking away, "Whatever, I'm leaving."

The two guys then stopped her by standing in front of her, "Hey, we try to show our appreciation and this is the thanks we get? You need to learn your place." "I know! Why don't you duel the both of us? Why not prove to us how good you are?" Yuya could tell they were mocking her and begging her for a fight. He clenched his fists as he knew one word to describe them, " _Bullies."_ He would always get picked on by them just for being Yusho's son. He hated people like that. Yuya knew what he had to do.

Chihaya sighed before turning towards the both of them with a bored expression, "Fine. If it will get you morons out of my sight, then I'll be glad to humiliate you." Chihaya activated her duel disk ready for a duel.

The two boys were looking pissed off at her, "Why you…!" "Oh, we are going to crush you so hard!" As all three of them were getting ready to duel, they heard a yell, "Wait!" They turned to the direction of the voice and saw Yuya walking towards them. "I'm teaming with her!"

All three of them were surprised that they saw Yuya. One of the boys was upset, wondering why this unknown kid was getting involved with them. "Wha...Who are you?! This doesn't involve you!" The other bully then decided to give his opinion, "Yea! We got beef with her! Get lost!"

Yuya then faced the both of them, "No! I see what you two are up to and I don't like it! You won't leave her alone so I'm here to help!" Chihaya was surprised that this nobody would try to help her but then got angry.

She made Yuya turn towards her, "I don't need help! Get out of here! This is my fight not yours!" She was a little mad that someone was thinking she needed protection which she hates.

Yuya then got a closer look at Chihaya who looked around his age and saw that she was wearing a choker around her neck, a blue tank top that covered her larger-than-average chest, and had green eyes with anger staring at him. Yuya was surprised at her attitude but then reaffirmed his decision, "No! I want to help you! When I see people like these guys, I can't just sit still! Let me help!"

Chihaya was still annoyed by this but then saw the look on Yuya's face that was telling her that he won't back down, that he really wants to help her. It reminded her of a certain someone who once said to her, " _Big sis, let me help!"_

Chihaya then sighed but it was more like a huff and then turned towards the bullies with a neutral expression, "Fine. I'll let you join."

Yuya then had a smile on his face as she accepted his offer, "Thank you." He also turned his attention towards the two men.

The two men were still looking at Yuya, angry that he interfering in their duel. "Why you…!" The one with the blue shirt got the other's attention, "Genjo, it's fine. We can just crush them both." Apparently the one with the red shirt was called Genjo who then sighed with a smirk, "Fine, Shiba." Genjo was smirking towards Yuya, "You want to join in? Fine! We'll crush you as well! Who are you, anyway?"

Yuya smirked towards as he pointed at himself, "I'm Yuya Sakaki." Genjo and Shiba were shocked as Yuya pronounced his name while Chihaya was looking at Yuya curious and confused, " _Yuya...Sakaki? Why does that sound familiar?"_ She swears that she heard that name before but couldn't put her finger on it.

Although, the two bullies seem to know who Yuya, "You're...Yuya Sakaki?" "The guy who defeated Strong Ishijima?!" Chihaya's eyes widened a bit as she heard that and then turned her head towards Yuya still looking curious but also intrigued, " _This is the guy that beat Strong?"_

Genjo then smirked, "Perfect. I've wanting to meet you since yesterday." Genjo's face then changed into a mocking smile, "But now that I look at you, you don't really look like much especially as a freak with different eyes!" Yuya was seething on the inside as he heard that as Genjo continued, "I wanted to see what kind of person he was that beat Strong by dueling you. But now you're saving me the trouble." Shiba smirked as well as he agreed with Genjo, "Yea! Now we can crush the both of you!"

Genjo and Shiba activated their duel disks again, this time ready for a duel. Chihaya was still curious about Yuya but then also activated her duel disk as well with Yuya following up.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **CHIHAYA LP: 4000  
** **GENJO LP: 4000  
** **SHIBA LP: 4000**

Genjo placed his hand on his deck with a smile, "I'll go first. Oh, by the way, none of us are allowed to attack on the first turn in the tag duel." He reminded Yuya and Chihaya what happened during the beginning of a tag duel.

Yuya was looking at his hand as this was a rare time that he dueled without Action Cards since he always had fun using them. Luckily he doesn't rely on them too much thanks to his brother teaching him not to rely on them.

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL - ACTION FIELD_

 _Flashback (Around 4 years ago)_

 _ **YUYA LP: 1900→0**_

 _ **YUYA: LOSE  
**_ _ **MIKLEO: WIN**_

 _Yuya landed on his back after losing another duel with his brother who was teaching how to duel better since his dad was gone. Mikleo was walking towards him looking a little irritated and then asked, "Yuya, let me see what cards you had."_

 _Yuya showed what he had in his hand and field and then Mikleo looked more upset. "Yuya! You had a face down and another card in your hand to counter my attack but instead you were going for an Action Card! Why?!" Mikleo was upset that his brother didn't rely on his cards first before others._

 _Yuya was a little sad that he made his brother upset at him and looked down at the floor, "Well...I like using Action Cards. They make duels more unpredictable. Plus I wanted to save my cards just in case…"_

 _Mikleo then got his brother's attention, "Yuya." Yuya raised his head and saw that Mikleo had a disappointed look on his face. He then asked, "Do you not trust your own deck?"_

 _Yuya was surprised at the question but then was annoyed, "O-Of course I do! I love my deck! It's represents who I am as a duelist!"_

" _Yuya, I understand Action Cards can be fun. But you gotta understand that not many people rely on them. They have their own combos and surprises in their decks."_

 _Mikleo kneeled towards his brother who was intrigued by what Mikleo was saying, "There are regular duels. Duels that don't use Action Cards. I don't use them because I'm fine with how my deck is. What would happen if you didn't have any cards prepared for a counterattack but instead was wanting an Action Card."_

 _Yuya's eyes widened at the revelation. He hadn't thought about that. He was always thinking about making duels more fun instead of trying to believe in his deck. The more he thought about it, many pros don't rely on Action Cards either which made him even more upset._

 _Mikleo then smiled towards Yuya, "Develop your own strategy. Trust in your deck. Win with your own cards. But it is also okay to fun as well. That's what a real duelist is all about."_

 _Flashback End_

* * *

After that duel, whenever Yuya would practice with his brother they would always have a normal duel instead of an Action Duel. And thanks to that, he learned to rely more on his deck than Action Cards. He was thankful for his brother teaching him. He focused his attention back on the duel that just started.

Genjo then started his turn, "My turn! Draw! I activate the Field Magic: Pandemonium -Demon's Den- **!** " Genjo activated his field card which surrounded the entire field with bones, coffins, and skeletons sticking from the side along with a glowing spot in the middle.

"And now I summon Infernal Queen Daemon ( **ATK: 900** , DEF: 1500, LV: 4)!" Genjo summoned a monster that had a demonic face with a skeletal body, a purple cape and wings attached to its back.

"I set two cards and end my turn." Genjo ended his turn after placing two face downs on his field. Genjo then looked mockingly towards Yuya, "Now then, show us what you got _Champion_."

Yuya glared at Genjo before choosing not to respond. Instead he looked at his current hand and saw that he had Pendulum Monsters. He could barely remember what exactly he did at the duel. " _Now how does Pendulum Summoning work again?"_ Yuya's memory then jumped back to what exactly he said in his duel with Strong,

" _I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician! And now I can summon monsters between Level 2 and 7 simultaneously!"_

Yuya then had a revelation, " _Oh! Now I get it! Well then, let's get to it."_

Yuya then started his turn, "My turn! Draw! I summon Entermate Skullcrobat Joker ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 100, LV: 4, PS: 8)!" Yuya summoned a monster that resembled somewhat of a clown with black clothing, striped shorts, pointed boots, a black mask and blond hair.

"When Skullcrobat Joker is Normal Summoned, I can add 1 "Entermate", "Magician" or "Odd-Eyes" monster from my hand! I choose Dragonpulse Magician!"

Chihaya was even more intrigued by what Yuya just summoned, " _Entermate, Magician, Odd-Eyes...So that's the type of deck he uses."_ She was somewhat familiar with Magicians, Odd-Eyes was something she wasn't sure about, but Entermate is what really surprised her as she remembered that Yusho Sakaki used that type of deck before. " _Yusho...Sakaki? Wait! That's who he is!"_ Chihaya's eyes widened a bit as she realized that this was the son of Yusho Sakaki.

Meanwhile, Yuya wasn't done with his turn, "Now I activate the Magic Card: Pendulum Magic! I check the top five cards of my deck and if there is a "Magician" Pendulum Monster among them, I can add it to my hand!" Yuya checked the top five cards of his deck and revealed one of them, "I add Dragonpit Magician to my hand!"

Everyone was confused by what Yuya just said, " _Pendulum Monster?"_ Neither one of them knew what that meant, was it some type of new card? Since Chihaya was closer to Yuya by a couple inches she saw the card Yuya showed and for a second she saw that it was orange but also green at the bottom. Chihaya was intrigued but wondered, " _What on earth is Pendulum?"_

"I set a card and end my turn." Yuya ended his turn by placing a face down.

Now it was Shiba's turn, who was still confused by what "Pendulum" meant, but decided not to think about it. " _Whatever this Pendulum is, it won't matter."_

"My turn! Draw! I summon Jurrac Stauriko (ATK: 500, **DEF: 400** , LV: 2)! I set a card and end my turn." All Shiba did was summon a blue and green dinosaur with red spots and flames coming out of its back, and then ended his turn with a face down.

Yuya turned his attention towards Chihaya and was interested in what type of deck she might be using especially since she seems confident she can beat the both of them without his help.

Chihaya started her turn, "My turn! Draw!" Chihaya looked at her hand before continuing, "I summon Crystron Prasiortle (ATK: 500, **DEF: 2000** , LV: 2)!" Chihaya summoned a monster that looked like a mechanical turtle that was green and was covered in crystals over the metal body. It also had a big crystal sticking out of its back and its tail had a mouth with sharp teeth.

Yuya did not recognize this archetype, " _Crystron?"_ Yuya was looking at the turtle she just summoned and thought it actually both pretty and ferocious.

Chihaya continued her turn, "When I have a "Crystron" monster on my field, I can Special Summon Crystron Chalcear ( **ATK: 2100** , DEF: 1800, LV: 6)!" Chihaya then summoned a monster that was a mechanical bear that was light purple and was also covered in crystals over its metal body. It had big crystals sticking out of its back more so than Prasiortle and had an armored head.

"I activate Prasiortle's monster effect! By doing so, I destroy Chalcear!" Chalcear was destroyed as everyone was confused as to why Chihaya just did that but she wasn't finished, "And now I can Special Summon a "Crystron" Tuner monster from my deck!" Yuya's eyes widened a bit, " _Tuner?!"_

Chihaya took a card from her deck, "I Special Summon the Tuner monster Crystron Rion (ATK: 500, **DEF: 500** , LV: 3)!" Chihaya summoned a monster that resembled somewhat of a humanoid armored knight with crystals sticking out from the back of its head that resembled a lion's mane, and it was glowing gray.

Yuya looked at the monster curiously, " _A Tuner monster. That means she can Synchro Summon."_

He remember Mikleo telling him about how Synchro Monsters work. Mikleo told him how it worked, " _Alright, Yuya. In order to Synchro Summon, you need two things: a tuner monster and a non-tuner monster. It doesn't work like Fusion or Ritual where it sometimes require a Magic card. No, instead you need these specific monsters to summon the right Synchro Monster. Both monsters' levels have to be the combined total of the Synchro Monster's level. For example, you tune a Level 1 Tuner with a Level 5 non-Tuner, and you get a Level 6 Synchro Monster. You do the math and you get whatever Synchro Monster is available."_ That was basically a short summary of what Mikleo told him about Synchro Summoning and now was curious as to what Chihaya was about to do.

Chihaya put out her hand as she shouted, "I activate Chalcear's monster effect! When it is in the Graveyard, I can banish it to add a "Crystron" card to my hand." As Chalcear was banished, Chihaya took a card from her deck and added it to her hand.

Yuya thought she was going to Synchro Summon, but to his surprise; all Chihaya did was set two face downs. "I set two cards and end my turn."

Yuya was confused, " _She's not going to Synchro Summon?"_ Yuya wondered what she was up to but then heard laughing from Genjo and turned his head toward him.

"Haha! I admit I was surprised that you have a Tuner monster but if you're not going to Synchro Summon then you just made a big mistake." Genjo had a mocking smile on his face as he put his hand on his deck. Chihaya heard what he said but chose to ignore it and impatiently said, "Just start your turn already!"

Genjo narrowed his eyes before drawing, "My turn! Draw!" Genjo pointed at his Infernal Queen, "Now then, normally I have pay 500 life points due to Infernal Queen's effect but thanks to Pandemonium, I don't have to! And now I activate Infernal Queen's other effect, during the Standby Phase, I can increase the attack points of a "Daemon" monster I control by 1000!" Infernal Queen powered up because of its effect.

 **Infernal Queen Daemon (ATK: 900→1900)**

Genjo had a smirk on his face, "I can Normal Summon this card without a Tribute as long as its attack and defense points are halved! I summon Evil Emperor of Terror - Genesis Daemon ( **ATK: 3000→1500** , DEF: 2000→1000, LV: 8)!" Genjo summoned a giant demonic monster that sitting on a throne and was at least as tall as a building. It had gray armor that looks like it was rusted and had a giant red rusty sword in its left hand. It also had skull designs for its knees and headgear.

Yuya looked a little overwhelmed at the sight of the giant monster, " _That's a big monster."_ Chihaya seemed unfazed though she narrowed her eyes a bit.

Genjo smiled as he summoned his favorite monster, "Although Genesis Daemon will be destroyed at the end of my turn since I summoned it this way. I've got a solution that problem." Genjo smirked again as he took out a card, "When I control another "Daemon" monster, I can Special Summon Daemon Commander ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 1200, LV: 6)!"

"And when he is summoned this way, one monster on my field is destroyed! I choose Genesis Daemon!" Genesis Daemon was destroyed, creating a huge explosion. Yuya and Chihaya were a little confused by what Genjo was doing but as he continued,

"I activate the Continuous Trap: Daemon's Call! By discarding a card, I can Special Summon one Level 5 or higher Fiend monster from my Graveyard! I choose Genesis Daemon ( **ATK: 3000** )!"

Now they understood what he did, by destroying Genesis Daemon and then bringing it back, Genjo was able to keep his monster's attack points the same.

Genjo turned his head towards Chihaya with a smirk, "Unfortnately for you Chihaya, you're first! Battle! Genesis Daemon attack Crystron Prasiortle!" Genesis Daemon raised his sword a little as he lowered it in order to crush Prasiortle.

Yuya was worried for her but then saw she looked unfazed as she raised her hand, "I activate Crystron Rion's monster effect!"

Genjo and Shiba were surprised as they didn't expect this, "What?" Yuya was curious as to what she was about to do.

"During my opponent's Battle Phase, I can summon one "Crystron" monster that was banished to my field! I summon Crystron Chalcear (ATK: 2100)! And since he summoned by the effect of another "Crystron" monster, I can change its level to be equal to another monster's level. I choose Prasiortle!" Chihaya pointed towards Prasiortle as Chalcear changed its level.

 **Crystron Chalcear** ( **LV: 6→2)**

Genjo got over his shock and then narrowed his eyes as he was thinking it didn't change anything, "So what? What was the point of that? My Genesis Daemon is still the stronger monster!"

Chihaya then had a smirk on her face and put out her hand again, "Who said that I was done? I now activate Rion's other effect! Since I special summoned a monster using its effect, I can now perform a Synchro Summon with Rion and the monster I just summoned!"

Genjo and Shiba were now in total shock, "A Synchro Summon?!" "During the Battle Phase?!" Yuya was surprised as well as he had never seen this before and immediately became impressed of Chihaya as he watched what she was about to do.

"I now tune my Level 3 Crystron Rion with my Level 2 Crystron Chalcear **(3 + 2 = 5)**! From the depths of crystals comes a monster with powerful intuition! Crystals combine to form a powerful machine! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Crystron Ametrix ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 1500, LV: 5)!" Chihaya summoned a humanoid purple machine that looked like it had huge claws attached to its hands and also two wings on each side of its back with spheres attaching them together. It also had a long tail attached to it.

"I activate Crystron Ametrix's monster effect! When it is Synchro Summoned, all Special Summoned on the field are changed to defense position!" Ametrix had its spheres sending out a sonic wave that spread around the duel field. It affected Genesis Daemon and Daemon Commander. Infernal Queen was not affected as it was normal summoned.

 **Evil Emperor of Terror - Genesis Daemon** ( **DEF: 2000** )

 **Daemon Commander** ( **DEF: 1200** )

Genjo clenched his fist as he was frustrated that he cannot attack Chihaya now. Yuya had an amazed smile on his face as he looking at Chihaya, " _Wow. She's good."_ He just wondered how good though.

Genjo glared at Chihaya before his attention towards Yuya, "Fine. Then I'll just have to go for you. Infernal Queen attack Skullcrobat Joker!" Infernal Queen powered a dark sphere before firing at Joker and destroying it.

 **YUYA LP: 4000→3900**

"I end my turn. Infernal Queen's effect also ends." Genjo was still frustrated but at least he got to deal some damage to someone.

 **Infernal Queen Daemon (ATK: 1900→900)**

Yuya was going to begin his turn but then he looked at his duel disk and notice that his Extra Deck was glowing. He didn't activate anything to summon a monster from his Extra Deck nor does he have any monsters as material, so why was it glowing? Yuya tapped on his Extra Deck and saw Skullcrobat Joker face up in the Extra Deck.

Yuya was surprised and didn't expect this, " _It's in my Extra Deck? Not my Graveyard?"_ Yuya then remembered something he read just yesterday, " _...face up Pendulum Monster in the Extra Deck."_ Yuya realized what that meant now, " _Oh, now I understand. Well, that makes Pendulum cards even more interesting!"_

Yuya began his turn, "My turn! Draw!" Yuya looked at his current hand and Skullcrobat Joker in his Extra Deck, " _If my theory is correct…_ " Since Joker was in his Extra Deck, Yuya had a theory that might work and he was about to try it.

Yuya looked at everyone, "Now then everyone. Since I have your attention. I'm about to show you all a new summoning that will shock you!" Genjo and Shiba were looking at Yuya, wondering what he was even doing. Chihaya was confused as well, " _What is he about to do?"_

Yuya grabbed two cards as he began his chant, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Dragonpulse Magician and Scale 8 Dragonpit Magician!" His two magicians appeared in two glowing pillars of light. "And now I can summon any Monsters with levels from 2 and 7 at the same time!"

" _What is happening?"_ That was everyone was asking as they watching Yuya and he wasn't done.

"Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" A portal opened up and out came three monsters. "Appear! Odd-Eyes Magician ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1500, LV: 6, PS: 8)! Entermate Longphone Bull ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 1200, LV: 4)! And from the Extra Deck, Entermate Skullcrobat Joker ( **ATK: 1800** )!" The monster that came out second resembled a blue bull with a red shirt, white pants, polka-dotted bowtie and had a telephone on its head.

Everyone was shocked by what they were seeing, Yuya summoning three monsters at the same time including a high level one. Chihaya was completely taken off guard as she have never seen this before.

"P-Pendulum Summon? ...Wait! That's Skullcrobat Joker! I thought I destroyed it!" Genjo was shocked but then was a little irritated as he thought he got rid of Yuya's monster.

"Pendulum Monsters that are destroyed go to the Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard. And with the right Pendulum Scales, I can bring them back." Yuya revealed another hidden function of Pendulum Cards; shocking everyone even more.

"What?! How is that fair?!" Genjo was even more angry than before that this kid had a "cheating" summoning method.

" _Pendulum Monsters. To think that cards like that even exist."_ Chihaya didn't know what to say because if she was honest, Yuya pulled off something amazing. Chihaya had a small smirk on her face, " _He's actually pretty good. I think I might want to duel him someday."_ It wasn't that Chihaya didn't have a low opinion on Yuya especially since she just met him, she just didn't know how good he was until now.

Yuya pointed towards his monsters, "Entermate Longphone Bull's effect activates! When I Special Summon this card, I can add a non-Pendulum "Entermate" monster from my deck to my hand! I choose Entermate Thunderhino (ATK: 200, DEF: 1800, LV: 3)!" Yuya added Thunderhino to his hand.

"Now Odd-Eyes Magician's effect activates! While this monster is on the field, all Pendulum Monsters I control gain 500 attack points!"

 **Entermate Skullcrobat Joker (ATK: 1800→2300)**

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2300→2800)**

"I activate the Continuous Magic: Pendulum Exchange! Once per turn, I can discard one non-Pendulum monster from my hand to add one Pendulum monster that has the same level as the one I discarded!" Yuya discarded Thunderhino in order to add Fire Mufferlion.

"I summon Entermate Fire Mufferlion ( **ATK: 800→1300** , DEF: 800, LV: 3, PS: 5)!" Yuya summoned a monster that was lion wearing a top hat, a bowtie, and its mane was on fire.

"Battle! Longphone Bull attack Daemon Commander!" Longphone Bull charged straight at the commander and rammed him, destroying Commander in the process.

"Odd-Eyes Magician attack Genesis Daemon! Spiral Magic!" " _As you wish, Master Yuya!"_ Odd-Eyes had his staff charging up power before spinning his staff and launching a colorful magic blast toward Genesis Daemon, destroying it.

" _Even if the rest of his monsters attack, I'll still have enough life points."_ Genjo was thinking he was safe as Yuya can't finish him off with his current monsters' attacks left but he was proven wrong.

"I activate Entermate Fire Mufferlion's monster effect! Once per turn, when a Pendulum Monster destroys a monster by battle, it gains 200 attack points and can attack again!"

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2800→3000)**

" _Thank you friend."_ Odd-Eyes was thanking Fire Mufferlion for its support who just let out a soft roar in response.

"What?!" " _3000 attack points…"_ Genjo's eyes widened as he realized he was finished after Odd-Eyes attack.

"Odd-Eyes Magician attack Infernal Queen! Spiral Magic!" Odd-Eyes launched his attack and destroyed Infernal Queen. Genjo was pushed back and landed on his back as he took damage.

 **GENJO LP: 4000→1900**

Chihaya knew what was about to happen, " _Yuya can have his Joker attack Genjo and deplete his life points. You are something else."_ Chihaya let out a small smile as she impressed by Yuya's skills.

Genjo was sitting up as Yuya called out his next attack, "Now Skullcrobat Joker attack Genjo directly!" Joker charged at Genjo ready to end this. Genjo was gritting his teeth as he didn't have anything to protect himself; however, Shiba intervened by playing his card.

"Not so fast! I activate the Trap Card: Desperate Instinct! It forces Joker to attack my Stauriko instead and end the battle phase!" Joker then stopped for a second before turning towards Stauriko and charged at it with a punch, destroying it.

Yuya narrowed his eyes a bit as he was hoping to end this as soon as possible, "Fire Mufferlion's effect ends and Odd-Eyes's attack points return to normal."

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 3000→2800)**

"Due to Desperate Instinct's effect, you get to draw a card." Yuya drew a card as Shiba wasn't done

"Since Stauriko was destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon two Jurrac Tokens (ATK: 0, **DEF: 0** , LV: 1) to my field! And because my monster was in defense position when it was destroyed, I can Special Summon Jurrac Herra (ATK: 2300, DEF: 1500, LV: 6)!"

Genjo pushed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Call of the Haunted which lets bring back Genesis Daemon ( **ATK: 3000** ) from my Graveyard!"

Yuya glared at Genjo as he brought back Genesis Daemon so it will be a problem unless Chihaya could pull this off.

Yuya gave off a sigh, "I end my turn."

"My turn! Draw! I activate the Magic Card: Big Evolution Pill! I can activate this card by tributing one of my Jurrac tokens. Now, for the three turns, I can now summon any Dinosaur-type monster without a tribute!" One of the Jurrac tokens left the field as the magic card was activated.

"I summon Jurrac Spinos ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 1700, LV: 7)! Now I activate the Equip Magic: Killing Instinct! By sacrificing another token, I can equip this card onto Spinos!"

"Battle! Jurrac Spinos attack Crystron Ametrix!"

Yuya was wondered for Chihaya as he was about to activate his trap when Chihaya stopped him, "Don't make a move."

Yuya turned towards Chihaya who was looking at Yuya with both a determined and semi-pleading expression on her face. Yuya knew what that look meant, she has a plan and she's determine to end it. Yuya gave her a thumbs up as she nodded back.

Meanwhile, Jurrac Spinos charged towards Ametrix and took a huge bite off of it, destroying Ametrix.

 **CHIHAYA LP: 4000→3900**

"Killing Instinct's effect activates! You now take damage equal to the amount of attack points your monster had."

 **CHIHAYA LP: 3900→1400**

Even though Yuya barely knows her, she asked him to trust her and that's what he's doing. He couldn't help but still worry though.

"When Spinos destroys a monster by battle, I Special Summon a Spinos Token ( **ATK: 300** , DEF: 0, LV: 1) to your field!" Chihaya had a token summoned on her field in attack position, leaving an opening to finish her off.

"Jurrac Herra attack the Spinos Token and end this!" Herra charged straight for the token while Chihaya still looked unfazed. After Herra destroyed the token, she made her move.

"Trap Card, open! Pressure Release! When a monster I control is destroyed by battle, the battle damage is reduced to 0!" A barrier surrounded Chihaya for a few seconds protecting her from the damage.

"And then I can Special Summon one "Crystron" monster from my Deck that has attack points equal to or less than the amount of damage I would have taken! I summon the Tuner monster Crystron Malacorse ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1600, LV: 5)!" The monster she summoned resembled a mechanical horse covered in brown crystals and had a spiked tail.

Shiba clenched his fist, frustrated that he couldn't finish the job either, "I end my turn."

It was now Chihaya's turn for a counterattack. "My turn! Draw!" Chihaya looked her at hand before pronouncing, "It's been fun but we're ready to end this now." She was looking towards with a smirk that told him she was ending it on this turn.

Genjo and Shiba were mad that Chihaya thinks this duel is over already, "What?! You really think you can end it on this turn?" "Not a chance, unless you have a monster strong enough which I doubt!"

Chihaya smirked at her opponents, "Just wait and see."

"I activate the Continuous Magic: Crystallization Recycling!"

"Now I activate Malacorse's effect! By destroying one monster, I can Special Summon a non-Tuner "Crystron" monster from my deck. I choose Prasiortle! And in exchange, I summon Crystron Sulfefnir (ATK: 2000, DEF: 1500, LV: 5)!" After Prasiortle was destroyed, out of the smoke came a monster in the shape of a dragon that had yellow armor, green crystals along with crystal wings.

"Crystallization Recycling's effect activate! Once per turn, when a "Crystron" monster I control is destroyed, I can resummon it back to the field." Chihaya brought back Prasiortle thanks to her magic card.

"I summon the Tuner Monster Crystron Quan ( **ATK: 500** , DEF: 500, LV: 1) from my hand!" Chihaya summoned a small humanoid knight that was covered in blue crystals and glowing.

Yuya was looking at Chihaya's field as he wondered what she was up to, " _Two tuners and two non-tuner monsters. Don't tell me, is she about to…?"_

"I tune my Level 1 Crystron Quan with my Level 5 Crystron Sulfefnir **(1 + 5 = 6)**!" Chihaya pronounced her Synchro Summon, confirming Yuya's suspicions.

"From the potential of crystals comes a monster with heavy machinery! Crystal combine to form a powerful machine! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Crystron Geltrix ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 2000, LV: 6)!" The monster summoned was a green humanoid machine that had a gun for its right hand and had boosters on it back instead of wings.

"Crystron Geltrix's effect activates! When this card is Synchro Summoned, I banish one monster on the field and it controller takes damage equal to its attack points! I choose Jurrac Spinos!"

"What?!" Shiba was in shock as he didn't have anything to counter that.

Geltrix was pointing its gun arm toward Spinos while charging up. Once it was done, it launched a black sphere of energy that sucked Spinos into the middle of nowhere.

 **SHIBA LP: 4000→1400**

"I'm not done! I now tune my Level 5 Crystron Malacorse with my Level 2 Crystron Prasiortle!" Both monsters jumped up as they prepared to Synchro Summon.

"Another Synchro Summon?!" Genjo was in disbelief by what he was seeing.

"From the cores of crystals comes a monster with power beyond machinery! Crystals combine to form a powerful machine! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Crystron Bastrix ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 1600, LV: 7)!" The monster summoned was a red humanoid machine that had tentacles instead of wings and also had claws attached to the back of its hands.

"Crystron Bastrix's effect activates! When this card is Synchro Summoned, all Special Summoned monsters my opponents control lose all of their attack points!"

"W-WHAT?!" Genjo and Shiba were now panicking after hearing her monster's effect.

Bastrix had its tentacles wrapped around the monsters, sucking out the power until there was none left.

 **Evil Emperor of Terror - Genesis Daemon** ( **ATK: 3000→0** )

 **Jurrac Herra** ( **ATK: 2300→0)**

"Battle! Crystron Geltrix attack Jurrac Herra! Crystron Bastrix attack Genesis Daemon!" Both monsters launched their attacks toward their respective targets and destroying them.

Genjo and Shiba were pushed back and landed on their backs as their monsters were destroyed.

 **SHIBA LP: 1400→0**

 **GENJO LP: 1900→0**

 **YUYA & CHIHAYA: WIN  
** **GENJO & SHIBA: LOSE**

Yuya was smiling as he saw how Chihaya ended the duel, " _Wow. That was amazing."_

Genjo and Shiba got off the ground while rubbing their heads. They then turned around and ran away, crying from Yuya and Chihaya with Genjo shouting, "I'll remember this!"

Yuya and Chihaya were dumbfounded by what they saw. They looked at each other for a few seconds and started to laugh.

After they were done laughing, Chihaya got Yuya's attention with a cough as she wanted to say something.

"Listen...Yuya." Chihaya paused for a second before continuing, "I'm sorry for overreacting when you wanted to help. I'm just...not use to people doing that." Chihaya was embarrassed as she had a stubborn expression on her face while rubbing her neck and refusing to look at Yuya so he won't see her blush.

Yuya was amused that Chihaya was embarrassed but then gave off a smile, "It's fine. I'm just glad it work out."

Chihaya then gave her own small smile, "Yeah."

Yuya then realized something that he never actually properly introduce himself, "Oh, uh, I'm sorry that I didn't introduce myself properly."

Yuya extended his hand toward Chihaya, "I'm Yuya Sakaki."

Chihaya had a neutral expression before accept his hand with a small smile, "I'm Chihaya Kotona."

As they were shaking hands, Yuya felt like he was forgetting something before refreshing his memory as to how he was here in the first place. After a few seconds, Yuya let go of Chihaya's hand and had his hands on his head with a panicked expression on his face.

"Ahhh! I just realized I'm late!"

Chihaya had a confused expression on her face as she saw Yuya panicking; then turning around and towards west of their location. Yuya came back for a second and yelled at her.

"It was nice meeting you Chihaya! Hope we meet again!" Before Yuya dashed off again.

Chihaya was still confused for a second before having her hand near her face and giving off a small giggle.

" _Yuya Sakaki. What an interesting guy."_

* * *

 **YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL - CLASSROOM**

Yuya arrived inside the building feeling a little sweating as he ran as fast as he could toward the building. He was breathing heavily before catching his breath and announced, "Hello everyone! Yuya has arrived!"

Yuzu stood up from the couch she was sitting on when she heard him and looked at him with a smile, "Yuya!" Then two small kids, one short overweight boy and a small red haired cute girl ran over to him, "Big Bro Yuya!" They both hugged him.

Yuya smiled at them and patted their heads, "Ayu, Futoshi, how was your day?" The little girl's name was Ayu Ayukawa and the short boy's name was Futoshi Harada, the two of them are the other two students at You Show Duel School and both of them looked up to Yuya and Yuzu like older siblings.

Ayu looked at him with a troubled smile, "Well it was pretty stressful. A lot of people wanted to join You Show."

Yuya gave her a sad smile, "Yeah. I've heard. Sorry I wasn't here on time."

Yuzu put her hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry about it Yuya."

Futoshi then had an irritated expression, "Yeah, but they were mostly here to see Big Bro Yuya do another Pendulum Summoning, so when they found out you weren't here they lost interest and just left. It was so not cool that it gave me the shivers."

Yuya chuckled a little, saying "he was getting the shivers" was Futoshi's catchphrase.

"I guess I can't say I'm surprised, after all I did use an never before seen summoning method."

Yuzu came to him with a smile, "Well, we do have some good news Yuya."

Yuya looked at her confused before he noticed another person, it was a boy with blue hair and was the same age as Ayu and Futoshi.

Yuya's eyes widened as he recognized the boy in front of him, "Wait, aren't you the boy who was here some time ago before my duel with Strong to see if you wanted to join us?"

Tatsuya nodded with an excited smile on his face, "That's right. My name is Tatsuya Yamashiro and I have decided to join You Show."

Yuya smiled at him, "That's great, but may I ask why? I was sure your mom wanted you to go to a different school everything you saw before."

Tatsuya smiled in response, "Well the reason is that I really enjoyed watching you duel, I couldn't help but smile and enjoy myself as I watched you dueling against Strong Ishijima, I want to watch more of that and have fun with dueling as well."

Yuya's smile grew bigger, "Well then, welcome aboard. I'm more than glad to welcome you to You Show Duel School, I hope we will be having a lot of fun together in the future."

Tatsuya smiled excitedly, "Yeah! I hope so too also…"

"Is it okay if I call you Big Bro Yuya as well?" Tatsuya shyly asked.

Yuya's eyes widened a little before having a smile on his face again, "Sure. I'm fine with whatever you want to call me."

Tatsuya smiled happily, "Thank you Big Bro Yuya." Then all of them laughed together.

Yuya looked up at the ceiling, " _So I've now got Pendulum Summoning and also made a new friend in Chihaya. I'm sure that there's a lot I still don't know about Pendulum Summoning but I'm ready to find all possibilities!"_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - CENTRAL PARK (HOURS LATER)**

It was sunny out all around the park but it too bad there was currently no one there as it was still early in the morning.

Suddenly a bright flash illuminated the park for a few seconds before the light started to dim. When the flashing stopped, a girl with long purple hair, a cream vest with an underdress, worn out pants, brown boots and two brown belts was laying unconscious on her back in the grass area.

The girl slowly opened her eyes as she regained consciousness and sat up off the grass. She was confused by what happened before. She was then fully awake as looked around her surroundings. She's definitely not in her home anymore.

"Where am I?"

 _ **To be Continued...**_

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Pendulum Magic** (Magic Card): Look at the top 5 cards of your Deck, you can reveal 1 "Magician" Pendulum monster among them, add it to your hand, and then shuffle the rest back into the deck.

 **Crystron Chalcear  
** (LV: 6, Machine, WATER, ATK: 2100, DEF: 1800)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If you control another "Crystron" monster on the field, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is in your Graveyard, you can banish it to add 1 "Crystron" card from your deck to your hand. If this card is Special Summoned by the effect of another "Crystron" monster, you can target 1 monster, this card's level becomes the same as the targeted monster's level.

 **Pendulum Exchange** (Continuous Magic): Once per turn, you can discard 1 non-Pendulum monster from your hand; add 1 Pendulum monster from your Deck whose level is equal to the discarded monster's.

 **Pressure Release** (Trap Card): When a monster you control is destroyed by battle, reduce battle damage to 0. Then you can Special Summon 1 "Crystron" monster from Deck that has attack points equal to or less than the amount of damage you would have taken.

 **Crystallization Recycling** (Continuous Magic): Once per turn, when a "Crystron" monster you control is destroyed, you can Special Summon that monster back to your field.

 **Crystron Malacorse  
** (LV: 5, Machine, WATER, Tuner, ATK: 2000, DEF: 1600)  
 _Monster Effect:_ You can target 1 face-up monster you control, you cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck except Machine-type monsters, also, destroy that card, and then Special Summon 1 non-Tuner "Crystron" monster from your Deck. You can banish this card from your Graveyard to add 1 "Crystron" card from your Deck to your hand.

 **Crystron Geltrix  
** (LV: 6, Machine, WATER, Synchro, ATK: 2400, DEF: 2000)  
 _(1 "Crystron" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Synchro Summoned, target 1 monster on the field, banish it and then inflict damage to its controller equal to the attack points of the monsters that was banished. When this card is destroyed, you can Special Summon 1 "Crystron" monster from your Graveyard except "Crystron Geltrix".

 **Crystron Bastrix  
** (LV: 7, Machine, WATER, Synchro, ATK: 2600, DEF: 1600)  
 _(1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Crystron" Monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Synchro Summoned, all Special Summoned monsters your opponents have their attack points reduced to 0. When this card is destroyed, you can Special Summon 1 "Crystron" monster from your hand or Graveyard except "Crystron Bastrix".

* * *

 **Alright, again I'm repeating this, that definitely took longer than I wanted it to but I'm happy.**

 **I hope you guys like my new OC character, Chihaya, she will be interesting (at least to me) as the story progresses. What do you guys think of her?**

 **Oh, yeah. I can't recall if I've seen them but I don't think Dragonpulse and Dragonpit was in a Fanfiction or in the anime period (at least I've never read one that had them.) So I decided to give them the spotlight.**

 **By the way, I didn't do this before because I honestly forgot about it. But I'm going to give you a preview of the next chapter I'm planning. This preview will only have the Title of the chapter because mainly itself says it all and I don't really want to give too much away.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Lyrical Duelist, Another Yuzu?!**

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	3. Lyrical Duelist, Another Yuzu?

**Okay. So I don't know how you all are going to respond to this chapter but I might have a pretty good idea. It's very obvious that yes I'm including Ruri in this story very early mainly because I think it was a waste to have her captured by Academia and only appear almost at the end of the show. Anyway, I hope you all will like this change and many more to come with it. With that said, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 - Lyrical Duelist, Another Yuzu?!**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - CENTRAL PARK**

Ruri was looking around the scenery, trying to figure out where she was at. She was no longer in her home of Heartland City as it was obvious that this city was not destroyed.

She was trying to remember what exactly happened before she got here. She could recall that she was being chased into an alleyway by someone and dueling that person.

* * *

 _UNKNOWN LOCATION - HEARTLAND CITY_

 _Flashback (Several hours ago)_

 _ **RURI LP: 2400**_ → **0**

 _ **RURI: LOSE  
**_ _ **?: WIN**_

 _She was laying on her back as she landed. She just lost the duel to this mysterious hooded duelist, who she could tell that it was a male, that was chasing her earlier in the alleyway. She didn't know what he wanted but she had to defend herself so she tried dueling him but didn't realize how strong he was._

 _Ruri was barely able to stay conscious as she saw that the hooded duelist was walking up to her. She tried to get up but she got injured after the duel. She just stood there struggling as the hooded duelist was within a foot of her now._

 _Ruri was glaring at the hooded boy as she was looking up to his face. She still couldn't see who it was but from what the hood was showing, he had a grin on his face as he was looking at her._

 _The hooded boy raised his hand and reaching towards Ruri with a grin still on his face. His hood raised up a bit as he was reaching so that Ruri could finally see what this boy looked like._

" _Now then, Ruri. Let me take you to the Professor." The hooded boy spoke calmly as he approached her._

 _Ruri could now see the boy's face. He had violet hair with pink underneath, purple eyes and pink eyebrows. But there was another feature that shocked her the most._

" _Y-Yuto?" thought Ruri._

 _Why does this boy look like Yuto? Ruri knew it wasn't Yuto as he isn't this sinister nor does he use Fusion but that still doesn't explain why he looks like her friend._

 _As the boy's hand was getting closer, Ruri was panicking a little bit inside. Was she really about to be kidnapped or carded? She's frustrated with herself as she can't do anything about it now._

 _Ruri was frowning as she saw the hand was inches away. She wanted to call for help but couldn't as she was too weak to speak._

" _Is this the end? For me?" Ruri was having her final thoughts as she thought this was the end for her._

 _But then, out of nowhere, Ruri's bracelet was flashing brightly as it illuminated the whole area._

" _What?" The hooded boy was looking at her bracelet wondering was happening. Then, before he knew it, the boy was glowing for a second before turning into particles and vanishing._

 _Ruri was blinded for a second as she didn't know was happening either. When the flashing dimmed down, she opened her eyes and then saw that the hooded boy was gone. She was shocked as she didn't see him anywhere. She thought a miracle happened before raising her arm to look at her bracelet._

" _Did you do this?" Ruri was wondering what her bracelet just did and was curious if it would respond._

 _The bracelet then started blinking and making a mysterious chime noise all around the area. Ruri was feeling tired as she was confused by what her bracelet was doing. She was so tired from her injuries that she fell backwards and fell asleep. Meanwhile, as the bracelet was still blinking, it then began to glow again and then Ruri was glowing for a second before turning into particles and vanishing also, along with any other trails she might have left as there was no one else around._

 _Flashback End._

* * *

Ruri was staring at her bracelet as she recalled what just happened. From she could gather, her bracelet saved her for some reason. Not that she isn't thankful, but she wonders why it did it. She had her bracelet for as long as she could remember and it never did this before.

She stood back up as her injuries have been healed. She don't know how she was unconscious but guessed it was long enough to recover from her previous duel.

She around her surroundings again and saw that she was in a park surrounded by a lot of buildings that were built really nicely. She wondered where she was since it wasn't her homeland.

" _Could it be that I'm in another dimension?"_ Ruri knew about the other dimensions since her home was attacked but she wondered what dimension she was in. She was honestly worried for her friends since she wasn't there anymore to know what's happening.

" _Okay. Calm down. I just need to ask where I'm at and maybe someone will help."_ While Ruri knew it likely wouldn't happen, she was always optimistic for a lot of situations.

With setting out with what she had to do, Ruri began walking away from the park and into the city to try to find some people that can give her information.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

"So this Chihaya girl pulled off a Synchro Summon during the Battle Phase?" asked Mikleo.

Yuya was telling Mikleo about what happened yesterday before he arrived at You Show. Mikleo could tell that his brother was impressed with her and wanted to duel her someday. Yuya also told Yuzu what happened to him yesterday as well when he was at You Show.

"Yeah. It was great." Yuya was smiling as he finished talking about her.

Yuya got off the couch and put his shoes on. Him and Mikleo were just finished eating breakfast that their mom made and now Yuya wanted to go out for a bit.

"See ya later, Mikleo." Yuya walked out of the house with Mikleo replying, "See ya at You Show later."

Yuya was out of the house was walking towards the city hoping just to get some fresh air.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - STREETS**

It was a bright, sunny day as there cars driving around the streets and people walking across the sideways. It was peaceful and loud at the same time during the middle of the day.

Ruri was walking along the sidewalk as she spotted some people walking and crossing the streets. She was admiring how nice of a city this was before spotting some people.

"Excuse me? Could you please help me?" Ruri tried asking people for help but it seem that either they were too busy with other stuff or just ignored her.

A few minutes have passed as Ruri was still trying to get some help but it was obvious that she was being ignored.

" _Is there no one that can help me?"_ Ruri was getting a little depressed as she was a little upset at how people were just ignoring her. She could understand that not many people would willingly talk to a stranger but she expected at least some responses.

Meanwhile, as Ruri was asking for help, Yuya was walking along the street admiring the city views and enjoying a peaceful walk.

Yuya then had his attention brought to someone talking as he turned across the street and saw a purple haired girl, who had her back turned to him, asking for help for some reason. Yuya saw that people were ignoring and she had her head down a little, which is a sign of sadness. Yuya wanted to help her with whatever she needed so he walked on over to her.

"Hey, excuse me miss? Can I help you?" Yuya spoke to the girl as she raised her head and turned around to see who it was.

Ruri was happy to hear that someone was finally willing to help her and turn to see who asked. She saw that it was a boy that looked to be her age with red and green hair, had both a red and green eye in a strangely cool way. In her opinion, she thought the boy looked cute like Yuto except there was one feature that surprised her though and it was that this boy had the face of her friend and the hooded duelist.

Yuya was looking at the girl that turned to face him. It was a girl that had pink eyes and long purple hair that extended towards her back. She had a cream vest with an underdress, worn out pants, brown boots and two brown belts. In his opinion, he thought she was pretty like his friend Yuzu except there was one feature that shocked him and that was this girl's face looked exactly like Yuzu's.

" _Yuto/Yuzu?"_ Both of them were dumbfounded as they were literally looking at their friend's faces.

Ruri at first thought this boy was Yuto and then the hooded duelist but then second guessed it as he didn't have Yuto's hair or eye color nor did he appear to be sinister as the one who tried to kidnap her. Ruri then wondered who this boy was if he was neither of them.

Yuya also thought that this girl was Yuzu at first but then remembered that Yuzu doesn't have purple hair, she has pink hair and, for as long as he could remember, Yuzu always wore her spherical blue hair clips to clip her hair into pigtails. And, though he would never say this to Yuzu, he thought that this girl seemed more polite than her. Yuya wondered who this girl was then.

Both of them were still staring at each other as they were recollecting their thoughts before deciding to speak again.

"Who are you?"

They both asked each other that question at the same time. They were so confused by what was happening that they didn't even notice they were making a scene in front of a lot of people. They were gathered around the two of them and some of them decided to speak.

"Hey mommy, why are those two staring at each other?" "Oh my, is this what we call love at first sight?" "Those two look adorable as a couple!"

Both of them were blushing bright red as they heard what other people were saying about them. They turned towards the audience watching, panicking with their hands shaking back and forth.

"N-No! You've got it all wrong!" "Right! This is a big misunderstanding!"

A lot of people were still looking at them with teasing smiles on their faces.

Ruri felt so embarrassed by this misunderstanding. It was getting out of hand so she grabbed the boy's hand and proceeded to drag him somewhere far away from here as she had some questions she wanted to ask the boy while trying to get rid of the redness from her face. Yuya had no argument with being dragged off as he wanted to get out of there as well.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - PIER**

After about a few minutes, Ruri stopped dragging Yuya along the city and ended up at the pier nearby a warehouse. Both of them let out a sigh as they were finally away from their doting audience.

Ruri turned towards the boy, "I'm sorry about that."

Yuya gave her a smile, "Hey, it's alright. Umm…" Yuya's face was turning red again as he said this, "You can let go of my hand now."

Ruri was confused a second before she saw that her hand was still clenching Yuya's. Ruri retreated her hand back before bowing a little bit with a red face, "I'm sorry again."

Yuya was rubbing his neck as the redness was fading away, "It's alright. I'm just glad to be out of that mess."

Ruri's face had a smile as the redness faded away as well, "Yeah. So am I."

They both smiled as they looked at each other before it was now awkward as they didn't know what to say to each other now. Both of them looked as they were waiting for the other to say something before Yuya decided to speak.

"So...did you need any help with something?" Yuya wanted to ask why this girl had the face of one of his best friends but didn't want to make it more awkward as he wanted to help her first.

"...Oh. Yeah! I do. Thank you. But first I want to ask you something." Ruri was thankful that this boy was willing to help but she had to ask about his resemblance to her friend as it was bothering her too much.

"...Okay."

"...W-Who are you? And why do you look like my friend?" Ruri felt a little awkward as she was asking this question as he probably didn't know what she was talking about.

"Huh?" " _I look like someone she knows? So it's not just me?"_ Yuya thought he was the only one feeling awkward as he was staring at her face.

Ruri sweatdropped after what she just said and sighed, "Oh. Sorry. It's just that your face looks like someone I know and I was just curious." Ruri felt more awkward that she was saying this stuff but she had to know.

Yuya's eyes widened for a second before deciding to speak, "Really? Cause you look like one of my friends as well."

"R-Really?" Ruri was surprised that she wasn't the only one feeling this way.

They both stared at each other for another few seconds before starting laughing at the situation. They laughed for a few seconds before catching their breath.

"Thank goodness. I thought I was the only one feeling that way." Ruri felt relieved that this boy had the exact feeling she had.

"Yeah. Me too. That would have been awkward if it was only one of us." Ruri nodded agreeing with Yuya.

Yuya was then curious by what she just said, "So...who did you say I looked like again?"

Ruri sighed before replying, "You look like my friend. His name is Yuto. He has black and purple hair. Gray eyes. And you honestly have the exact same face as him."

Yuya's eye widened a little as he heard what she said, "Really?" " _Yuto…"_ Yuya honestly has never heard of him before nor did he knew that he apparently look likes him.

"I-It's not that I'm accusing you of anything! I was just curious if you somehow knew him since you both have the same face." Ruri didn't want this boy to get the wrong idea that she was accusing him of something, she was just saying what she was feeling.

"It's fine. No worries." replied Yuya.

"That's a relief." sighed Ruri.

"But no, I've never heard of Yuto. I'm sorry." Yuya apologized.

"Oh, no. That's okay." Ruri was a little disappointed that this boy didn't know who Yuto was but then wondered why he still had the same face.

"...But I'm also wondering the same thing. Why do you look like Yuzu?" Yuya revealed to this girl who she resembled.

"Yuzu?" Ruri guessed that was the name of the girl that she resembles.

"My childhood friend. She has pink hair with pigtails and blue eyes. You also have the same face as her."

" _Yuzu…"_ Ruri doesn't know Yuzu either; she was also confused by not only this boy looking like her friend but apparently she resembled another girl as well.

"I'm sorry but I don't know Yuzu either."

"That's alright."

Yuya could see that Ruri was still confused as much as he but he felt they didn't really know what to think of this information so he decided to drop it for now.

"Hey. Don't worry about it. I'm sure we can figure this out later." Yuya was trying to reassure the girl.

Ruri had a smile on her face, "...You're right. Thank you."

Ruri was thankful that this boy was being so kind to her before realizing that she hadn't even asked his name yet.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I haven't asked your name yet." Ruri wanted to know who this was anyway.

Yuya was surprised for a second before smiling, "My name is Yuya. Yuya Sakaki." Yuya extended a hand towards the girl.

" _Sakaki?"_ Ruri could swear that she heard that name before couldn't remember when at the moment before deciding to accept his hand.

"I'm Ruri. Ruri Kurosaki."

Both of them shook hands as they were happy they finally knew each other's names. Yuya then remembered why he was talking to her in the first place and proceeded to ask the same question again.

"So Ruri, what did you need help with again?" Yuya was curious as to why Ruri needed help as she seemed like someone who can take care of herself.

"Oh, right. I needed help in finding out where I am."

Yuya raised an eyebrow, "That's it? Are you not from here?"

Ruri had her eyes lowered as she looked a little sad, "No. One day I woke up and I was in this city with no one around me. Away from my home."

Ruri told Yuya somewhat the whole truth as she didn't really want to get him involved in her mess since he was being so kind to her. Plus him and this city doesn't deserve to be put into battle either.

Yuya was confused as he felt that something about her story seemed off but decided drop it as he saw that she was troubled by the situation she was in.

Yuya decided to reply, "That's...sad. I'm sorry I asked."

Ruri shook her head, "No. It's alright. You needed to know."

Yuya nodded as he wanted to help her in anyway he can. He didn't know about her situation but he doesn't care as long as he can help.

"We're in Maiami City." Yuya told Ruri what city they are in.

"I see." " _So it is another dimension…_ " Ruri was certain that she was in another dimension but that city name just confirmed it as she had never heard of it and plus the fact that it wasn't in ruins.

Ruri then had another question, "Is there any place that uses Extra Deck summoning?"

"Extra Deck? If you mean Synchro, Fusion and Xyz, then sure there's LDS and maybe other schools that use them."

" _So this dimension is aware of the other summoning methods. I must be in Standard then."_ Ruri heard from her brother and Yuto about how Standard was the middle of the dimensions and somehow had all of the summonings as well. At least, she wasn't in the Fusion Dimension or she'd be in real trouble.

From what Ruri has asked Yuya, she at least gathered that she will be safe for now as Standard is currently not involved with Fusion at the moment. Now the problem being is how she will get home or at least know what's going on in her dimension. A problem she will have to figure out later down the road.

Ruri smiled before bowing at Yuya, "Thank you so much for your help, Yuya. I appreciate it."

"No problem, Ruri. But what are you going to do now?" Yuya was happy that he was able to help her but was now concerned as he just heard that she had no one with her at the moment which, to him, means that she doesn't have anyone to look after her. Since she's around his age with no parents or siblings around, that doesn't sit well with him.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I will just find a place to live." Ruri was really grateful for Yuya and didn't know how to repay him. But she felt like if he got more involved with her then he might get involved in the war as well and she doesn't want to put him in danger.

Ruri began walking away but Yuya still wasn't fully convinced so he walked up and grabbed her wrist; she turned around to look towards him.

"Ruri, let me help you. I'm sure me and Yuzu can find you a place to stay." Yuya really wanted to help her since she didn't have anywhere to go.

Ruri was touched that Yuya was willingly to help her this much but she was reluctant as she didn't want to trouble him anymore.

"I don't know, Yuya. I appreciate it but I wouldn't want to trouble you anymore."

Yuya was thinking about what he could do to convince Ruri to let him help her. He then got an idea which might work.

"Hey Ruri, are you a duelist?" Yuya wanted to know if Ruri was a duelist.

"...Yes. I am." Ruri was confused as to why Yuya was asking her that.

"Then how about this? We have a duel and if I win, you have to accept my help." Yuya was determined to help her and if dueling was what it would take, then he'll do it.

"Huh?" Ruri was surprised by the "challenge" given by Yuya and the conditions.

The fact that Yuya wanted to duel her just because he wants to help her honestly sounds silly but sweet at the same time. It has been a while seen she has had a normal duel so she was welcome to the challenge.

Ruri was giggling after what Yuya just said with Yuya looking at her confused as to why she's laughing.

" _He sure is a funny guy."_ Ruri was smiling at the kind of person Yuya is and decided to accept.

"Okay, Yuya. You're on!" Ruri accepted his challenge with a confident smile.

"Alright. Let's do this!" Yuya was happy Ruri accepted and then had a confident smile as well.

Both duelist activated their duel disks and stood a few feet away from each other ready to begin the duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **RURI LP: 4000**

"Now if you don't mind Ruri, ladies first." Yuya wanted to be polite so he let Ruri go first.

Ruri giggled a bit, "Why thank you Yuya."

Ruri then stared at her cards as she thought about the duel commencing. Before, dueling in her home was about smiles and making people happy but that was before Academia attacked their home. She wonders if maybe she can have a fun duel for once with Yuya. Well she's about to find out.

"My turn! Draw! When I have no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Turquoise Warbler (ATK: 100, **DEF: 100** , LV: 1)!"

"And since Turquoise Warbler was Special Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my hand or Graveyard! I Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0, **DEF: 100** , LV: 1)!" Due to their abilities, Ruri was able to summon a light-green warbler, female bird female monster and a brown cobalt, female bird monster.

"When Cobalt Sparrow is Special Summoned, I can add one "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my deck to my hand!" Ruri added a monster to her hand due to her monster's effect.

"I Normal Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Topaz Owl ( **ATK: 0** , DEF: 100, LV: 1)!" Ruri summoned a female pinkish-orange owl monster to the field.

"When Topaz Owl is Normal Summoned, while I have another "Lyrical Luscinia" on my field, I can Special Summon a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my deck! I Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Sunstone Thrush (ATK: 200, **DEF: 100** , LV: 1)!" Ruri summoned a red-orange female thrush bird monster to the field.

"When Sunstone Thrush is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon another "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my hand! I Special Summon another Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow ( **DEF: 100** )! And when Cobalt Sparrow is Special Summoned, I add one "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my deck to my hand." Ruri managed to summon a fifth monster to her field while adding another one to her hand.

" _Well she definitely loves birds a lot just from seeing them."_ Yuya honestly thought they almost look like girls wearing bird costumes but, he will admit, they are cute monsters.

" _Still she managed to summon five monsters in one turn. That's impressive and I don't think she's done yet."_ Yuya was excited that Ruri managed to bring out five monsters although a couple seconds later, Yuya noticed that all five monsters have something in common. Yuya's eyes widened a little in realization, " _Wait a minute. All of them are Level 1. She's has multiple monsters with still a good amount of cards in her hand. Could it be she…?"_ Yuya had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what Ruri was going to do with those monsters. " _Xyz."_

Ruri had a smile on her face as she raised her hand up in the air, "I overlay all five of my Level 1 monsters!"

All five of Ruri's monsters turned into energy and gathered around into one spot. Yuya's eyes widened a bit, " _I knew it! She's going to Xyz Summon!"_

"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale ( **ATK: 0** , DEF: 0, RNK: 1, OVU: 5)!" Ruri summoned her ace monster which was a female bird wearing a nightingale outfit that was light orange, blue and pink all around. There was also some purple around the top area of the dress including the headwear.

Yuya was astonished and impressed that Ruri used five monsters to Xyz Summon. Just like with Synchro Summoning, he remember Mikleo telling him about how Xyz Summoning works was well. Mikleo told him how it worked, " _Okay, Yuya. Here's the deal. Xyz Summoning works by using two or monsters with the same level and combining them to form a more powerful Xyz Monster. It is sort of like having your monsters work together to form more power or something like that. By the way, Xyz Monsters have Ranks not Levels so keep that in mind. For example, you overlay 2 Level 4 monsters to Xyz Summon a Rank 4 Monster. Also most Xyz Monsters, when they use their effects, they use Overlay Units of the monsters used for material that's attached to them and sent them to the Graveyard."_ That was basically a short summary of what Mikleo told him about Xyz Monsters.

Ruri pointed towards her monster, "Assembly Nightingale gains 200 attack points for every Overlay Unit she has! She has 5 so Assembly gains 1000 attack points!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 0→1000)**

"And since Sunstone Thrush was used as Xyz Material for a WIND Xyz Monster, that monster gains 500 attack points!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 1000→1500)**

"I end my turn." Ruri ended her turn as she felt there was nothing else she could do right now.

"Wow. That's awesome, Ruri. You summoned 5 monster in one turn and also Xyz Summoned." Yuya was impressed by Ruri's dueling.

Ruri had a sweet smile as she heard the praise, "Thank you, Yuya. Where I'm from, Xyz Summoning is very common when dueling others."

"I think I might want to go there someday." Unfortunately, Yuya had no idea how that would bad if he did just that and was impossible at the moment.

"My turn! Draw! I Normal Summon Odd-Eyes Cyborg ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 1400, LV: 4, PS: 7)!" Yuya summoned a monster that looked half-human and half-machine with dichromatic eyes.

"Battle! Odd-Eyes Cyborg attack Assembly Nightingale!" Odd-Eyes Cyborg's arm transformed into a small cannon before firing a blast towards Assembly.

Ruri smiled a bit as she pointed at Assembly, "I activate Assembly Nightingale's monster effect! By using an Overlay Unit, now for the rest of the turn, "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters I control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects and I take no battle damage!" Assembly used her ability by sending an Overlay Unit to the Graveyard which created a wind barrier that protected herself and Ruri from danger.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 1500→1300) (OVU: 5→4)**

Yuya smiled as he saw how she protected herself from the damage. " _That ability makes it harder to defeat though."_ Even then, Yuya never backs down from a challenge.

Yuya pointed towards his monster, "I activate Odd-Eyes Cyborg's monster effect! Once per turn, when I monster I control attacked, my opponent takes 500 points of damage!"

 **RURI LP: 4000→3500**

"I set three cards and end my turn. You're pretty good, Ruri." After Yuya ended his turn, he praised Ruri for the skills she was displaying so far.

Ruri had a sweet smile on her face, "Why thank you Yuya. You're not bad as well." Ruri's smile then turned confident as she placed her hand on her deck, "But I'm sorry, this duel is over already."

Yuya was confused as he didn't like the sound of that, "Why's that?" He had a feeling she wasn't bluffing.

"I'll show you. My turn! Draw!"

Ruri pointed towards Assembly Nightingale, "Assembly Nightingale can attack as many times as the number of Overlay Units she has. Since she has four units, she can attack four times! And she can attack directly!"

"What?" Yuya didn't expect this as he hadn't counted on direct attacks. He did the math in his head, if Assembly can attack directly 4 times with 1300 attack points he'll lose the duel.

"Battle! Assembly Nightingale attack Yuya directly!" Assembly Nightingale swung its wings towards Yuya, unleashing three gusts of wind that decreased his life points dramatically.

 **YUYA LP: 4000→2700→1400→100**

"Now then Assembly Nightingale attack Yuya directly for the final time!" Assembly unleashed its final blast towards Yuya looking like the duel was over already except that Yuya had a counter.

"Trap Card, open! Defense Draw! The damage I take during this attack is reduced to 0 and I get to draw a card!" Yuya's trap projected a small barrier that protected him from the damage. While the trap was still out, he made his move.

"I activate the Trap Card: Shock Draw! For every 1000 points of damage I took this turn, I get to draw a card! Since I took 3900 points of damage, I can draw 3 cards!" Yuya drew 4 cards from his two traps as he pushed a third button on his duel disk.

"I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Emergency Provisions! By sending magic and trap cards I control to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 life points for each one sent!" Yuya sent Defense Draw and Shock Draw to the Graveyard while their effects were still active.

 **YUYA LP: 100→2100**

Ruri smiled at Yuya's move as he was able to draw, negate the damage, and recover his life points in one move. It reminded her of some of the combos Yuto pulled off whenever she saw him duel.

"I end my turn."

Yuya smiled at Ruri as he shouted out to her, "Gotta admit, I wasn't expecting a direct attack but that just makes dueling even more fun and exciting."

" _Fun…"_ Ruri admits this duel was kind of fun to have. It is just it's been so long since she had fun in a duel that she wondered that she and her friends would ever experience it again but here she is now.

Ruri smiled at Yuya's statement, "Yeah. This is fun."

"Glad you agree. My turn! Draw! I Normal Summon Entermate Sword Fish (ATK: 600, **DEF: 600** , LV: 2)!" Yuya summoned a blue fish that was in a shape of a sword with glasses.

"When Sword Fish is Normal Summoned, all monsters my opponent currently controls lose 600 attack and defense points!" Sword Fish created copies of itself and they rained down onto Assembly Nightingale, decreasing her attack points.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 1300→700)**

"Now then, Ruri. As you have Xyz Summoning, I'm about to surprise you with something amazing." Yuya proclaimed his next move with please her with Ruri wondering what he was about to do.

Yuya grabbed two cards and began his chant, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 Dharma-Eye Magician and Scale 5 Wisdom-Eye Magician!" His two magicians appeared side-by-side in two blue pillars of light.

Ruri wasn't sure what she was looking at but she thought it was pretty.

Yuya pointed at Wisdom-Eye Magician, "But before I do anything else, I activate Wisdom-Eye Magician's Pendulum Effect! By destroying this card, I can place a "Magician" Pendulum Monster from my deck into my Pendulum Zone! I destroy Wisdom-Eye in order to set the Scale 9 Barrier Magician (ATK: 1000, DEF: 2000, LV: 5)!" Wisdom-Eye was destroyed and in exchange a magician with red clothing and black cape appeared in its place. It also had an armored head and was wearing magical metal gauntlets on its arms.

"Now then with the Scale 2 Dharma-Eye Magician and Scale 9 Barrier Magician, I can summon any monsters with levels from 3 to 8 at the same time! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" A portal opened from the giant swing pendulum and out appeared two monsters. "Appear! Odd-Eyes Magician ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1500, LV: 6, PS: 8)! And from the Extra Deck, Wisdom-Eye Magician (ATK: 1500, **DEF: 1500** , LV: 4, PS: 5)!"

"Pendulum Summon…" Ruri was honestly amazed by what she was seeing.

"That's right. Pendulum Summoning allows me to summon multiple monsters at once and Pendulum Monsters that are destroyed go to the Extra Deck so I can revive them back." Yuya revealed what Pendulum Monsters were to Ruri.

"That's amazing." Ruri became surprised and excited by the new Summoning Yuya has performed. She had never seen or heard of it but it looked pretty cool.

Yuya nodded as he pointed at his monsters, "Since I Special Summoned monsters, Sword Fish's effect activates again so all monsters my opponent currently controls loses 600 attack and defense points!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale** ( **ATK: 700→100)**

"Odd-Eyes Magician's effect activates! All Pendulum Monsters I control gain 500 attack points!"

 **Odd-Eyes Cyborg (ATK: 1700→2200)  
** **Odd-Eyes Magician (ATK: 2300→2800)  
** **Wisdom-Eye Magician** (ATK: 1500→2000)

"Battle! Odd-Eyes Cyborg attack Assembly Nightingale!" Cyborg unleashed its attack towards Assembly Nightingale with Ruri reaching out her hand again.

"I activate Assembly Nightingale's monster effect! By using an Overlay Unit, now for the rest of the turn, "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters I control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects and I take no battle damage!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 100→0) (OVU: 4→3)**

"I activate Odd-Eyes Cyborg's monster effect! Once per turn, when I monster I control attacked, my opponent takes 500 points of damage!"

 **RURI LP: 3500→3000**

"I set two cards and end my turn." Yuya placed two face downs on his field and ended his turn.

Ruri recovered from the blast as she removed the dust from her pants. She had a happy smile on her face. It had been long since she had a duel where nothing was at stake and it was just for fun. Dueling Yuya had been making her happy for a while now.

"Thank you, Yuya."

Yuya looked at her a little confused, "Huh? What for?"

Ruri had a sincere smile on her face, "For giving me such a fun duel to enjoy."

Yuya thought that smile was actually beautiful but he decided not to press his luck and just said, "You're welcome. I'm glad you're able to enjoy it. After all, that's what dueling is all about."

Ruri was a little surprised by Yuya's meaning of dueling, "That's your meaning to dueling?"

Yuya nodded as he had a small smile, "Sure. Dueling should be competitive to people and enjoying themselves. But most importantly, dueling should give happiness to everyone as well as create connections with each other." Yuya had a hand to his heart as he spoke his mind.

Ruri was a little shocked by Yuya's proclamation, " _That sounds a lot similar to how I feel about dueling."_ Ruri recalled where she developed her ideology of dueling with her friend Sayaka, " _Dueling should be used for making people happy and bringing smiles to others."_

Ruri had her hand to her heart as she looked at Yuya, " _He reminds me a lot of Yuto. They're a lot similar but different at the same time...I'm glad there's people like you Yuya. Thank you."_ With this duel, she got her fighting spirit and resolve back to fight for her comrades. She wasn't down in the dumps but she was depressed that she isn't there anymore for her comrades but now she felt revitalized.

Ruri was still smiling at Yuya as he looked a little confused, "Hey. Are you okay, Ruri?"

"...Yeah. Don't worry about it." She wanted to tell Yuya how thankful she was but he probably wouldn't understand what she was thanking him for. She brought her duel disk as she was continuing the duel.

"My turn! Draw!" Ruri looked at what she drew and smiled before turning towards Yuya, "Yuya, as thanks for giving me a fun experience, I'm about to amaze you as well!" Ruri proclaimed to Yuya excitingly.

Yuya was surprised as this might have been the first time someone was willing to amaze him so he welcomed it with a smile, "Sure. Show me what you got Ruri!"

Ruri nodded as she picked up a card, "First, since I control a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Swallow ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 0, LV: 1) from my hand!" Ruri summoned a female blue swallow monster.

"And when Sapphire Swallow is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my hand! I Special Summon another Lyrical Luscinia - Sunstone Thrush ( **ATK: 200** )!"

"And because Thrush was Special Summoned, I can summon another Lyrical Luscinia - Turquoise Warbler ( **ATK: 100** )! Since Turquoise Warbler was Special Summoned, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow ( **ATK: 0** ) from my Graveyard!" Ruri was to bring out four monsters thanks to their effects.

Yuya whistled as he saw four Level 1 monster on Ruri's field, "So you're able to Xyz Summon again?"

Ruri gave Yuya a confident smile, "Yes. But first, not in the way you think." Yuya was confused as to what she meant by that as she grabbed a card from her hand.

"I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Rank-Up-Magic - Lyrical Evolution!" The card appeared on Ruri's field as Assembly Nightingale was glowing.

"Rank-Up?" Yuya had never heard of this type of card and wondered what it does.

Ruri had a smile on her face, "With this card, I can target one "Lyrical Luscinia" Xyz Monster I control and rank up it to a Xyz Monster with a higher rank by 1!"

"What?" Yuya didn't know if he heard that right or not as he didn't know this was possible for Xyz Summoning.

Assembly Nightingale turn into purple energy along with the remaining overlay units and disappeared in a black portal.

"Birds with pretty wings! Gather on the battlefield and take flight! Rank Up! Xyz Change! Dance in the sky! Rank 2! Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale ( **ATK: 500** , DEF: 500, RNK: 2, OVU: 4)!" Ruri summoned a monster that looked a lot similar to Assembly Nightingale except it had longer hair down its back and part of its wings were green instead of light blue.

" _Rank Up Xyz Change…"_ Yuya was honestly amazed as she basically rank up her ace into a more powerful monster.

Yuya then got excited, "Amazing, Ruri. I had no idea this was possible."

Ruri then returned a smile, "Neither did I with Pendulum Summoning. We're both full of surprises." Both of them laughed at that statement.

Ruri brought her hand out towards Horde Nightingale, "Horde Nightingale gains 300 attack points for every Overlay Unit she has! She has 4 so Horde gains 1200 attack points! And since Sunstone Thrush is still used as Xyz Material, Horde gains 500 attack points as well!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale** ( **ATK: 500→1700→2200)**

"And now I overlay all four of my remaining Level 1 monsters! Xyz Summon! Lyrical Luscinia - Recite Starling ( **ATK: 0** , DEF: 0, RNK: 1, OVU: 4)!" Ruri Xyz Summoned a monster that resembled a female starling bird monster with star patterned wings.

"When Sapphire Swallow is used as Xyz Material for a WIND Xyz Monster, I can attach 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my Graveyard to this card as an Overlay Unit!" A dark portal appeared and a shining sphere flew straight out of it and swirled around Recite Starling.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Recite Starling (OVU: 4→5)**

"And since Sunstone Thrush was used as Xyz Material for a WIND Xyz Monster, that monster gains 500 attack points!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Recite Starling (ATK: 0→500)**

"When Recite Starling is Xyz Summoned, I can target one monster on the field and it gains 300 attack and defense points for every overlay unit attached to Recite Starling. I choose Horde Nightingale!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale** ( **ATK: 2200→3700,** DEF: 500→2000 **)**

"3700 attack points?!" Yuya was surprised as this one of the rare times he has seen monster that powerful before.

"Sorry Yuya but this duel is over. Battle! Recite Starling attack Odd-Eyes Magician!" Recite Starling charged towards Odd-Eyes Magician.

"Huh? But my monster is stronger." Odd-Eyes Magician has 2800 attack points while Recite Starling has 500 attack points so why is Ruri ordering Starling to attack?

Ruri had a confident smile on her face, "When Recite Starling battles, any battle damage I take is also inflicted to my opponent."

"What?" Yuya was surprised at the revealed information about her monster. When the battle would be over, Ruri would take 2300 points of damage and since she only has 3000 she's safe but Yuya only has 2100 life points.

Yuya knew he was about to lose if he doesn't do something. He looked at his current face downs and had an idea of what to do. " _Well, first time I've tried this but I've got no choice!"_

"I activate the Trap Card: Half Unbreak and target Recite Starling!" Yuya activated his face down which created a bubble that surrounding Recite Starling as it was charging forward.

"What?" Ruri wasn't expecting that move.

Yuya pointed at her monster, "And if I'm right, she can't be destroyed by battle this turn and the damage taken is halved!"

Recite Starling unleashed a whirlwind that didn't effect Odd-Eyes at all. Afterwards, Odd-Eyes unleashed a magical blast towards Starling and hit the bubble barrier.

 **RURI LP: 3000→1850  
** **YUYA LP: 2100→950**

"I see. You activated that trap in order to half the damage dealt during the battle. Nice move, Yuya." Ruri analyzed Yuya's move and praised him for it.

"Thanks. Although that's the first time I think I used it like that." Even Yuya was amazed as he didn't know he could use the trap like that.

Ruri nodded as she continued her battle phase, "Horde Nightingale can attack as many times as the number of Overlay Units she has. Since she has four units, she can attack four times!"

Ruri called out to her monster, "Horde Nightingale attack all of Yuya's monsters!"

Horde Nightingale unleashed four wind blasts toward Odd-Eyes Magician, Wisdom-Eye Magician, Sword Fish, and Odd-Eyes Cyborg. Since some of them were in attack position, Yuya could lose the duel because of the difference in attack points but he had a counter to it.

"I activate Barrier Magician's pendulum effect! Twice per turn, I don't take any battle damage!" Barriers were around Odd-Eyes Magician and Cyborg, protecting Yuya from the damage, as the wind blasts connected, destroying all of Yuya's monsters.

"I set a card and end my turn." Ruri thought she had him for sure but he manage to surprise her which made the duel more fun for her.

"My turn! Draw!" Yuya looked at the card he drew and smiled. He looked at Ruri, "Sorry, Ruri. As much I want to keep dueling, I think it's time that I end this." Yuya basically proclaimed he was ending this duel on this turn.

Ruri had a curious smile, "Really? And how are you going to do that? I should let you know that Horde Nightingale has the same effect as Assembly when you attack."

Yuya smiled at that, "I figured as much which is why I have a counter for that!" Ruri couldn't help but wonder what he was about to do. Yuya called out to the sky as the giant pendulum appeared.

"Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! From the Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Magician ( **ATK: 2300→2800** ), Odd-Eyes Cyborg ( **ATK: 1700→2200** ) and from my hand Entermate Secondonkey ( **ATK: 1000** , DEF: 2000, LV: 4)!"

"Entermate Secondonkey's effect activates! Since it was Special Summoned, I can send one "Entermate" monster from my deck to my Graveyard but since there are two cards in my Pendulum Zones, I can add it to my hand instead!" Yuya added Entermate Seal Eel to his hand thanks to Secondonkey's effect.

"I Normal Summon Entermate Seal Eel ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 100, LV: 1, PS: 3)!" Yuya summoned a monster that resembled both a seal and an eel wearing a top hat and had its lower half inside of a noisemaker.

"Aww. That's a cute monster." Ruri was admiring how cute that monster looked.

Yuya nodded as he agreed, "Thank you. But there's more than cuteness for this monster. I activate Entermate Seal Eel's monster effect! When this card is Normal Summoned, I can select one set magic or trap my opponent controls and that card can't be activated for the rest of the turn." Yuya selected Ruri's only face down as it was glowing gray meaning she can't use it now.

Ruri was a little disappointed that she can't activate her trap now and had a feeling that Yuya wasn't done yet.

"I activate the Continuous Trap: Pendulum Switch! Once per turn, I target a monster in my Pendulum Zone and one in my Monster Zone! They now switch places with each other! The monster in my Pendulum Zone is summoned to my field while the other goes into my Pendulum Zone! I choose Dharma-Eye Magician ( **ATK: 2000→2500** , DEF: 2500, LV: 7, PS: 2) and Entermate Seal Eel!" Dharma-Eye and Seal Eel switched places as they both went to their respective different positions.

"I activate Entermate Seal Eel's pendulum effect! Once per turn, I can target one monster my opponent controls and that monster has its effect negated until the end of the turn!" Yuya revealed what he planned to do with Seal Eel all along.

"What?" Once Ruri heard that she knew she was in trouble. Not the danger kind of trouble but the more fun kind of way.

"I choose Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale** ( **ATK: 3700→2500)**

"I'm not done!" Yuya took a card from his hand, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Big Return! This lets me reuse a "once per turn" effect! I choose Seal Eel and target Recite Starling!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale** ( **ATK: 2500→1000)**

"This is the finale! Battle! Odd-Eyes Magician attack Horde Nightingale! Dharma-Eye Magician attack Recite Starling!" Both magicians unleashed their attacks towards Ruri's monsters and destroyed them.

Ruri was looking at the attacks with a surprised look before decided to accept them with a smile on her face. " _Thank you, Yuya."_

 **RURI LP: 1850→0**

 **YUYA: WIN  
** **RURI: LOSE**

Ruri landed on her butt after she took the attack head on. She lost the duel but still felt happy. She hasn't felt like this for a while and she doesn't regret it one bit. She heard footsteps and saw Yuya looking down at her with a smile and a hand reached out to her.

Ruri accepted the gesture with a smile as Yuya pulled her off the ground. Unfortnately, he used a little more force than needed and brought Ruri a little bit closer to him with their faces several inches apart. Both of them were surprised and then blushing by how close they were before backing away.

Yuya coughed a little bit, "Sorry about that."

Ruri's face was still a little red before returning to normal as she smiled, "No. It's okay. Thank you for the fun duel, Yuya."

Yuya returned a smile to her, "Yeah. Glad we both had fun."

They both chuckled a bit as they had fun dueling each other. Ruri felt really happy that she can have this feeling again especially with what happened to her home.

"Well Yuya, you won so as we agreed you can now help me find a home." Ruri wasn't sure if she would accept the conditions of the victory but now that she had fun and saw how kind Yuya can be, she decided to accept.

Yuya smiled at her, "Thank you Ruri."

Yuya walked away and gestured Ruri to follow him, "Come on, I need to take you somewhere first if we're going to find you a home." Yuya knows someone that might be willing take Ruri in, he just needed to ask him first.

"Okay." Ruri followed Yuya away from the pier in a certain direction.

* * *

 **YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL - CLASSROOM**

Yuya opened the door greeting everyone in the room, "Hey everyone!"

Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi were sitting on the couch with smiles on their faces, "Big Bro Yuya!" Yuzu and Gongenzaka had smiles as they saw their friend as well as Shuzo. Mikleo had a lazy smirk on his face as he saw his brother.

Tatsuya sat up from the couch and ran over to Yuya excitingly, "Big Bro Yuya, could you please show me again how Pendulum Summoning works?"

Yuya chuckled a little bit, "Heh. Sure anytime Tatsuya. But first, there's something I need to ask Principal something." Yuya turned his attention to Shuzo.

Shuzo was curious as to what Yuya could be asking, "What is it Yuya?"

Yuya then looked at everyone with a smile, "Well first, I'd like to introduce you all to a friend I've recently made."

Yuzu, Mikleo, and Gongenzaka were curious as to who this friend was; Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi were curious as well. Shuzo, however, looked at Yuya more excitingly, "Is it a new student?!"

Yuya chuckled a little, "Not exactly." Yuya then looked at Yuzu, "You'll probably be interested as well Yuzu."

Yuzu was a little confused as to why this new friend has something to do with her and stood up to see who Yuya was talking about.

Yuya looked at the door behind him and gestured Ruri to come in and finally introduce herself.

Ruri walked into the room with a straight face as she heard that she will also be meeting Yuzu, who supposedly looks like her. Once she got into the room, she stood next to Yuya in front of everyone around them. They all saw that it was a pretty girl with purple hair.

But was shocking to everyone is her face looks exactly like Yuzu's. Yuzu was dumbfounded as she was literally looking at someone else with her face. Ruri was surprised that Yuzu does look like her albeit with pink hair and all. They didn't know what to say to each other as they were meeting each other for the first time.

Everyone else was pretty much the same except for Yuya who honestly kind of expected this reaction. Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi were looking at both Ruri and Yuzu with wonder back and forth.

"Does Big Sis Yuzu have a twin sister?" Ayu was curious as she never heard of her.

"She has the same face as Yuzu." Tatsuya was surprised by what he was seeing.

"This is so weird that it's giving me the shivers." Futoshi was conflicted by the questions arising in his head.

Everyone took a few more seconds before getting over their shock and now they had questions that needed answering.

Yuzu turned towards Yuya with both a curious, confused, and wary look, "Yuya...who is she?"

Yuya smiled a little bit and put his hands on both girl's shoulders to reassure the both of them, "Everyone, this is Ruri. I met her today and she needed some help so I brought her here."

While they were still confused, the three little kids decided to greet Ruri.

Each of them introduced themselves to her, "Hi, I'm Ayu." "My name is Tatsuya." "And I'm Futoshi."

Ruri kneeled down a little as she smiled at the three of them, "Hello. It's nice to meet you all." She wasn't just saying that for these three but also for the others that have yet to introduce themselves.

Yuzu has decided to introduce herself as well as she didn't want to be rude, "I'm Yuzu Hiragi."

The others have got up as well and walked up to Ruri, "I'm the man known as Gongenzaka." "I'm Mikleo, Yuya's brother."

Shuzo was still a little confused but decided to go along with it, "I'm Shuzo Hiragi, Yuzu's dad."

Yuya could see that everyone was confused as to why Ruri looks like Yuzu as well and decided to address it, "Believe me, I was taken aback when I met her as well. I don't know why she looks like you Yuzu."

Everyone else nodded as they didn't know what to make of it but decided to drop it for now.

Ayu was looking her more closely and was admiring her, "Wow! You're really pretty!"

Ruri was surprised but then had a sweet smile, "Thank you."

Mikleo greeted her with a handshake, "Any friend of Yuya's is a friend of mine." Ruri nodded and shook her hand back.

Gongenzaka then had the same gesture, "Same goes for me." Ruri shook his hand as well. She was honestly a little taken aback for how large he was for his age but it didn't really bother her.

Shuzo was then confused by what she needed help, "So, Yuya what does she need help with?"

Yuya nodded as he began to explain some of the things of Ruri told him including the fact that she has no parents or siblings to look after her right now.

"You don't have anyone?" Yuzu was concerned for Ruri even though she just met her.

Ruri then had a look of sadness on her face, "No. I don't have anyone right now."

Yuya then looked determined as he spoke to Shuzo, "Principal, I was hoping you and Yuzu can give her a home for the time being."

Now Yuzu understood why Yuya brought Ruri which brought a smile to her face. That's just the kind of person Yuya is where he always help others in need before himself.

Shuzo was conflicted as he didn't know to say, "Uhh...Well…" It wasn't that he didn't want to say no, it's just that he's not sure if they have enough room.

Yuzu then pleaded to her father, "Please dad. Let us help her."

Shuzo thought about it for a few more seconds before letting out a sigh and a smile, "Sure. You can stay with us Ruri." He just have to figure out how to make it work later.

Ruri then a grateful smile towards the two of them, "Really? Thank you so much!"

Yuzu nodded, "Yeah!"

"However…" Shuzo then decided to speak a little bit more, confusing everyone around him. "If you're going to stay with us, could you please also be a part of You Show Duel School Duel as well?"

Everyone then looked at Ruri who still had a determined smile, "Sure. I'll join."

Shuzo was then excited and raised his fists, "Alright! I'll go get the paperwork!" Shuzo ran off to get the paperwork.

Everyone sweatdropped before laughing at the situation that was happening.

Ayu was pulling on Ruri's leg, trying to get her attention, "Hey Ruri. Since you will joining us, can I call you Big Sis as well?"

Ruri was surprised as she didn't expect this. She's never been called that before so she doesn't know what to do.

Tatsuya and Futoshi then voiced their opinions, "I also want to call you that if you don't mind." "Me too!"

Ruri was thinking for a few seconds before having a loving smile on her face, "Sure. I don't mind."

The three kids had happy smiles on their faces as Ayu voiced her happiness, "Thank you Big Sis Ruri."

Everyone else was smiling at the scene before them including Yuya who was happy he could help her out. Meanwhile, Yuzu was also happy to have a new friend who was a girl around her age in this school.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HIRAGI RESIDENCE (NIGHTTIME)**

"Alright Ruri, we managed to find a bed for you to sleep in." Yuzu and her father worked hard to find a new bed for Ruri to sleep in and turns out there was a couple extra mattresses in the basement. They managed to set up a new bed for her in another room next to Yuzu's.

Both Ruri and Yuzu were in their pajamas as they were getting ready to go to bed.

"Thank you so much for your kindness Yuzu." Ruri was grateful to Yuzu and her father for giving her a bed to sleep in.

"No problem Ruri. I'm just happy we were able to help you out." Yuzu may not know her much but she was honestly too nice to turn her down a bed to sleep in.

"Well, goodnight Ruri." Yuzu left the room and said goodnight to Ruri.

"Goodnight." The lights were turned off as Ruri prepared to go to sleep. Before she drifted off into sleep, she was thinking about her comrades back home and her brother and Yuto.

" _Yuto...Shun...Wherever you are, please be safe."_ Ruri then fell asleep.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN HOTEL LOCATION**

A young man with brown hair and blonde curls at his forehead was tossing darts while he was talking on the phone, "So I just have to steal them? These Pendulum cards or whatever they're called?"

The one was he speaking to answered, "That is correct and I won't question whatever methods you do in order to get them, get us the cards and I will trade them for those rare cards you've been after Sawatari."

The young man whose name was Shingo Sawatari had a smirk on his face, "Roger that, I'll get those cards for you." He then tossed his last dart and it also hit a poster of Yuya that he had placed on his wall.

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Topaz Owl  
** (LV: 1, Winged-Beast, WIND, ATK: 0, DEF: 100)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Normal Summoned, while you control another "Lyrical Luscinia" monster, you can Special Summon 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from your deck.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Sunstone Thrush  
** (LV: 1, Winged-Beast, WIND, ATK: 200, DEF: 100)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Special Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from your hand. While this card is Xyz Material for a WIND Xyz Monster, that monster gains 500 ATK.

 **Odd-Eyes Cyborg  
** (LV: 4, Machine, LIGHT, ATK: 1700, DEF: 1400, PS: 7)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack, you can negate the attack and inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent. When a Pendulum Monster you control would be destroyed, you can destroy this card instead.  
 _Monster Effect:_ Once per turn, when a monster you control declares an attack, you can inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent.

 **Barrier Magician  
** (LV: 5, Spellcaster, DARK, ATK: 1000, DEF: 2000, PS: 9)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Up to twice per turn, you take no battle damage.  
 _Monster Effect:_ During the Battle Phase, when you would take battle damage, you can send this card from your hand or face-up in your Extra Deck to the Graveyard; reduce the damage to 0 and end the battle phase. If a monster(s) you control would be destroyed, you can banish this card from your Graveyard instead.

 **Rank-Up-Magic - Lyrical Evolution** (Quick-Play Magic): Target 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" Xyz Monster you control; Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" Xyz Monster with 1 Rank higher, by using it as Xyz Material. (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned Monster.) You can banish this card and 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" card from your Graveyard, then target 1 "Rank-Up-Magic" Magic card from your Graveyard; add it to your hand.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale  
** (RNK: 2, Winged-Beast, Xyz, WIND, ATK: 500, DEF: 500)  
 _(2 or more Level 2 Winged-Beast Monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ This card gains 300 ATK for each Xyz Material attached to it. While this card has Xyz Material, it can attack a number of times each Battle Phase, up to the number of Xyz Materials attached to it. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, all monsters your opponent currently controls have their attack and defense points reduced by 1000 until the end of the turn. Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; until the end of the turn, "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, also you take no battle damage.

 **Some OCG & Anime effects are changed for the sake of convenience **

* * *

**Alright, I hope you all enjoyed how I treated Ruri in this chapter. Since she wasn't shown in the anime that much, I honestly wasn't sure about her character that much other than she's honestly, personality wise, close to Yuya's personality. I did say that I would go in a different direction and here you go. Anyway, I hope you all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Stolen Pendulum -** Yuya and co. were invited to LDS by Shingo Sawatari who unfortnately has bad intentions for Yuya's new Pendulum cards.

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	4. The Stolen Pendulum

**I will be honest this probably took longer than it should have but I was focussed on college semester tests so much that I was delaying it a little bit and I apologize for that. Thank you for feedback concerning Ch. 3, I am honestly happy the majority of you all enjoy it. Anyway, here's my responses to some of the recent reviews.**

 **Frost190- Thanks for the feedback. I don't honestly have a specific reason for Yuya's brother being named Mikleo; I just like the name. And yes I did get it from Tales of Zestiria, glad someone caught that. Besides Jack Atlas isn't a Japanese name either, so names are not that big of an issue to me. I'm honestly fine with either using English or Japanese names or something different. But if it bothers you, I apologize.**

 **ThePLOThand- Well I don't know if you noticed, but I did put that statement in the last chapter and yes I did change some of the effects from both OCG/TCG or anime but thanks for the heads up. I don't know if I'm giving all the cards their OCG/TCG effects instead of the anime, like I said, it either depends on which effect is better in my opinion or if it's better for the duel they are used in. Maybe sometimes, I will also combine the both of them if they mix well together (anime + OCG/TCG).**

 **Matrixnis- If you thought Ruri was OP with those cards, then you might be surprised with what I have planned for other characters later on (although this is a maybe also). Otherwise, thank you for your statement.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4 - The Stolen Pendulum**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - MAIAMI HIGH SCHOOL**

Yuya was dozing off in class, having spent the majority of last night practicing different combinations with his new pendulum cards, no matter if they're in the field, hand, or Extra Deck. He was so exhausted last night that he can't stay awake for the lesson given today.

Yuzu was looking at Yuya troubled, she was worried by the fact that he was sleeping in the middle of class while the teacher was putting an equation on the board. The teacher then turned around after he was done, "Sakaki, what's the solution to this problem?"

Yuzu now looked really worried as she let out a small gasp since Yuya was still asleep; out of everyone in this class, the teacher had to pick Yuya. Everyone turned towards Yuya when he wasn't answering and saw that Yuya was sleeping with his head on his desk.

The teacher walked over to him and narrowed his eyes as he stood in front of Yuya, "Sakaki!"

Yuya opened his eyes a little bit, "Uhh...What?"

The teacher slammed his hands on Yuya's desk, "Yuya Sakaki, wake up this instant!"

Yuya flew up with his head from his desk so fast that he barely managed to avoid falling out of his chair. He looked at his teacher and saw how angry he looked, "What's your excuse?"

Yuya had a nervous smile on his face, "Will you excuse me if I have an excuse?"

"*SMACK* Of course not, stupid Yuya!" Yuzu was irritated at Yuya's attempt of excusing himself so she smacked him with her paper fan, Yuya was looking dazed after the smack while the teacher held his head with his hand sighing and the other students laughed at the display.

* * *

School was now over as the bell rung. Students were hanging out and walking out of the building. Yuya and Yuzu were now walking towards the school gate.

Yuzu looked at Yuya with narrowed eyes, still a little irritated about what just happened, "You were practicing different techniques with your pendulum cards?"

Yuya nodded as he had his hands behind his neck, "Yeah, though I guess I didn't notice how much time I spent on them since it was late when I went to bed."

Yuzu sighed, "Yuya, I know you're still excited about your new cards but you shouldn't let it affect school."

Yuya shrugged with a smile, "Hey, don't get mad. Since you hit me with the perfect comedy timing, everyone thought it was funny."

Yuzu raised her voice a little, "That's not the issue!"

Before Yuya could answer back, they heard someone call out to them. "Big Bro Yuya!" Yuya and Yuzu looked in front of them and to their surprise Tatsuya, Ayu, Futoshi, and Ruri were all waiting for them outside the school gates while they waved at them.

Yuya and Yuzu walked over to them while Yuya waved back at them, "Hey everyone!"

"Ruri, you came with them?" Yuzu was a little surprised that Ruri tag along with them.

Ruri nodded, "I had nothing else to do and these three were excited to see Yuya Pendulum Summon again."

Tatsuya was looking at Yuya excitedly, "Big Bro Yuya, are you gonna show a Pendulum Summon today?" They had found out that Yuya performed a Pendulum Summon during both of his duels with Chihaya and Ruri and were disappointed they didn't get to see it.

Yuya smiled at them, "Of course. I spent a lot of time yesterday working on different combinations for them."

Yuzu rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Yeah. So much that you fell asleep in class today." Ruri let out a small giggle after hearing what Yuzu said.

Futoshi got an excited smile on his face, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry to You Show." Ayu and Tatsuya nodded with excited smiles which made Yuya, Yuzu, and Ruri laugh a little.

All six of them began to walk to You Show. However all of them stopped suddenly when they saw three darts flying towards them. Yuya caught all three of them by instinct with his hand as they were aimed at him. Everyone around him was amazed as Yuya reacted fast enough to catch them.

Yuzu was really surprised, "W-What? How did you do that Yuya?"

" _You can thank my brother for that."_ Yuya and everyone else turned to where those darts came from and saw a boy around Yuya and Yuzu's age who was wearing their school uniform; he had brown hair with blonde curls in his forehead. He was also in complete surprise that Yuya managed to catch those darts. He then tried to act casual about it by scratching the back of his neck as he walked towards them.

Yuya looked at him confused, "Who are you?"

The young man walked over to him, "You're Yuya Sakaki correct?" He grabbed Yuya's right hand with both of his hands and held it. "I'm Shingo Sawatari from Classroom #1. It's really nice to meet you." He said as he shook Yuya's hand.

Yuya had a surprised look on his face, "Y-Yeah, the same Sawatari."

Sawatari smiled at him, "I only saw it once on TV, but it was so fun and exciting to watch your duel against Strong Ishijima." He grabbed his darts back from Yuya's hand while still having a smile on his face, "I really enjoyed that Pendulum Summon thing you pulled off in your duel against Strong." He then looked at Yuya, "What were they called again, those cards you used?"

Yuya looked at him, "You mean the Pendulum cards?"

Sawatari smiled happily, "That's right, that's what they were called." He placed his hands on his chest, "I guess such rare cards can only be used by certain people who are chosen."

" _If only he knew how right he might be."_ Yuya chuckled a little as he blushed a little in embarrassment while holding his head, "Well, I don't know about that but I do appreciate it."

Yuzu looked at Yuya, "Hey Yuya, weren't we going to go to You Show so you could show the kids a Pendulum Summon?" Yuya looked at her surprised as he had almost forgotten about that, "You're right, let's get going."

Sawatari looked at him with a smile, "Actually, if you want I have a much better stage for you if you want to show Pendulum summoning to your young friends." He looked at his watch, "How about we use the center court at LDS at let's say...5 o'clock? I have it reserved."

Yuya looked at him shocked, "You mean _that_ LDS Center Court?" Yuzu looked equally as shocked, "Did you say that you have it reserved?"

Sawatari nodded and showed them a badge he had on his uniform, it was a badge that everyone who was a student at LDS had, "That's right. I'm not only a star student of LDS but my father is also expected to become the next mayor of Maiami City, so if I ask around I'm sure that someone will let me use it for today."

The three younger kids got excited looks on their faces, "You mean that we can get to see a Pendulum summoning at the Center Court at LDS?" Tatsuya said excitedly. Futoshi looked like he was about to explode from excitement, "This is so awesome that I'm getting the shivers."

Yuzu however didn't look excited at the idea of going to one of their rival schools, "I think our school has what we need however."

Yuya looked at her, "I agree with you Yuzu, but it's not often you get to see the Center Court at LDS."

Futoshi looked at Yuzu with excitement, "Please Big Sis Yuzu, it's LDS's Center Court, _the_ Center Court." Ayu and Tatsuya nodded.

Yuzu looked at Yuya who shrugged with his shoulders. Yuzu felt a hand place on her shoulder and looked to see Ruri with a sweet smile, "Oh why not. Come on, Yuzu they're really excited."

Yuzu then sighed irritated, "Fine, but I'm coming with you guys as well, I should visit our rival school as the representative of the You Show Duel School."

Sawatari looked at them over his shoulder with a smile, "I had a feeling that you would accept the offer, shall we get going then?"

Tatsuya nodded excitedly, "Alright, let's get going!" The kids then grabbed Yuya's arms and began to drag him to get to LDS while Yuzu and Ruri followed behind.

Sawatari stopped for a moment and looked after them, the kind smile he had on his face changed into a smirk, "Everything is going as planned." He then chuckled and then he followed after them.

Unbeknownst to all of them, however, they were watched by Mikleo who was finishing shopping and carrying groceries for his mom to cook dinner when he noticed Yuya and Yuzu exiting the school. He heard the entire conversation especially after what Sawatari just said and then had a suspicious look on his face as he watched Sawatari walking.

" _He's definitely up to something."_ Mikleo thought that this whole offer was too fishy and then checked his watch, " _Well, mom won't mind if I'm a little late."_ Mikleo then slowly followed after them.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LEO DUEL SCHOOL**

Sawatari stood in front of them and smiled at them, "Welcome to LDS!"

The doors then opened up and they entered the building while they followed Sawatari. The kids got really excited as there were a lot of kids in all ages looking through their cards and talking to other kids and there was also some display screens showing monsters battling each other.

Sawatari led them through the building, "The Leo Duel School or LDS for short. As you can probably guess from the name, it's a duel school that is run by the Leo Corporation. And of naturally they're the largest company in the business."

Tatsuya looked really excited at the others as he held up a hand, "And their facilities are state of the art."

Futoshi looked at him with a smile, "Wow Tatsuya, you sure know a lot about LDS."

Tatsuya rubbed the back of his head, "Well my mom kept saying it would better if I would join LDS, after all she said that they have better equipment and teachers."

Ayu was pondering, "Meaning that LDS has everything You Show doesn't have."

Yuzu sighed depressed as she heard Ayu say that, "Well sorry that we can't afford better."

Futoshi looked at Yuzu, "Oh come on, don't get so upset. Cheap places have their good points too."

Yuya then stopped and looked at a schedule that was about the classes about the different summoning methods, "But it is true that they have a lot of things You Show doesn't have; not only do they have a summoning course, they also have a Synchro summoning course, a Xyz summoning course, a Ritual summoning course and a Fusion summoning course as well."

The moment after he said that, a short boy with light blue hair walked past him with candy in his hand. He turned his head around at Yuya confused before he continued walking.

Yuya was looking at the boy for a few moments before wondering who that was. He then heard Yuzu call out to him.

He turned towards them and saw the three excited kids, Ruri, and a frustrated Yuzu standing next to Sawatari who pointed in a direction, "The Center Court is this way." Yuya looked after the short boy before he followed the others to the Center Court.

* * *

 **LEO DUEL SCHOOL - CENTER COURT**

Yuya, Yuzu, and Ruri looked around while the kids looked around really excited before Tatsuya said, "It's the LDS Center Court that I wanted to see for so long." Yuya could understand why the kids were so excited to see this place, this dueling arena was really huge.

They then saw three other boys walking towards them. One of them had green hair, another had dark hair and another had grayish brown hair. The one with the brown hair looked at them with a smile as he held up his hand, "Hello."

Sawatari pointed at the boys, "These guys are my friends and they're also your fans." Sawatari looked at Yuya, "Would you mind showing them your Pendulum cards?"

Yuya looked at him warily, "My Pendulum cards? I don't know…"

Sawatari looked at him with a pleading look on his face, "Please, we just want to see them for a second."

Yuya took a second to think before sighing and opening his leg pocket, "Alright fine, I'll show you then."

Yuzu looked at him a little concerned, "Yuya, are you sure about this?" Yuya looked back at her, "I am. I want to get this over with as soon as possible. I don't know why but I have a feeling we're being watched since we got here."

Yuzu looked at his face, she wanted to say that it was probably because he was the one with the new summoning method but the look on Yuya's face told her that he didn't mean the other students that are here.

Ruri was also a little suspicious by what was happening, " _I got the same feeling as well. I hope nothing bad will happen but for some reason I doubt it."_ Ruri wasn't sure why she was feeling this way either. She had been in a battlefield for a while so her instincts were sharpened a little but she thought maybe she's overreacting a little.

Yuya took and pulled up Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician out of his deck. He then held up the cards and showed them to Sawatari and his friends. They came over to him and looked at the cards with great interest, "Awesome…"

Then to Yuya's surprise, Sawatari grabbed both Stargazer and Timegazer and pulled out of his hand. Sawatari turned around and then looked back at Yuya with a smirk, "Thank you. For adding these cards into my collection."

Yuya was shocked for a second but then got really angry, "...What?"

Yuzu was glaring at Sawatari, "Hold on a second, what are you talking about?!"

Sawatari and his friends had smirks on their faces, "You see, I happen to fancy rare and powerful cards, and I really loathe to dirty my collection by putting weak cards into it."

He then held up Stargazer and Timegazer as his smirk grew bigger, "Which is why I have decided that I'm gonna take these cards for myself."

Yuya, Yuzu, and Ruri all gritted their teeth before Yuzu said, "So that's the real reason why you invited us here? So you could steal Yuya's cards?"

Sawatari chuckled while he struggled with his shoulders, "Stealing is such an ugly word. I prefer to think that these cards is now gonna belong to a more deserving duelist, also…" He placed the cards inside his uniform, "That's not the only reason why I asked you guys to come here. After all, I figured I should test my new cards once I had gotten my hands on them."

He looked at his friends with a smirk, "You guys want to see a Pendulum Summon right?" His friends nodded before the dark haired said, "Of course we want to."

Sawatari then took out his duel disk, "That's the reason why I reserved the center court." He placed his duel disk on his arm.

Yuya was glaring at Sawatari, "Why you…!"

Ruri was also glaring at him, "You dare call yourself a duelist?" Ruri was really mad that there was someone like him that just takes people's precious cards for their own benefit.

Yuzu looked at him with anger, "You can't do this, Sawatari."

Sawatari had a smirk on his face as he walked towards them, "We all came here to see a Pendulum summon correct?"

He then attempted to pull Yuya's goggles and slam them on his eyes but before he could pull them, Yuya slapped his hand with a very angry expression, "How about you give back my magicians?"

Tatsuya nodded with a frown, "That's right, those cards belong to Big Bro Yuya."

Sawatari then frowned as his attempt didn't work but then had a another smirk and chuckled as he waved his finger at him, "They're not yours anymore, they belong to me now. It almost sounds like you don't want to duel me?"

However a ringing sound then came from his duel disk, he looked down and saw an unknown caller since there was an image, "Why don't you leave it at that Sawatari? Your job is to get the Pendulum cards for us remember?"

Sawatari chuckled, "Nakajima was it? Well I'm afraid that my goal is a bit different from yours." He held up Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician, "You see, I wanted these cards for myself from the very beginning."

* * *

 **LEO CORPORATION**

 _(Meanwhile…)_

Nakajima was standing in the control room, clenching his fists together at the control panel, "What are you thinking you fool? Don't start acting on you own…!"

However a hand moved in front of him in a stop motion, "No." Nakajima turned around and saw the Reiji sitting there, "Let him do it." Nakajima looked confused, "Mr. President?!"

Reiji looked at the screen, "Let him do as he please. It will give us an opportunity to see the Pendulum cards in action; it will give us important data."

He looked at the screen again, however his main focus was on Yuya, " _Let's see how you get out of this one, Yuya."_

* * *

 **LEO DUEL SCHOOL - CENTER COURT**

Sawatari then got a smirk on his face, "And now, let's begin." He held up his hand and snapped his fingers.

Yuya then saw how Sawatari's dark haired and green haired henchmen both grabbed Yuzu and Ruri, "Hey, let me go!" "Get off me!"

Yuya looked at the both of them, "Yuzu! Ruri!" He then heard screams behind him and saw how the grayish brown haired henchman had grabbed Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya. He saw how they were beginning to be dragged away. Yuya glared at Sawatari, "Hey what are you doing? Let Yuzu, Ruri, and the others go, you coward! This is supposed to be between me and you, right?"

Sawatari had a smile on his face, "No need to worry about them Yuya. I'm just going to have them lend us a helping hand in our duel."

Yuya glared at him confused while Sawatari's henchmen dragged them over to a square, "A helping hand? What do you mean by that?" Sawatari chuckled, "You'll find out soon enough."

Sawatari then reached inside his uniform, "That's right, I almost forgot. I would feel bad if only you _gave_ me cards…" Sawatari then took out a bunch of cards and then tossed them on the ground in front of Yuya.

Yuya looked at the cards that were thrown and saw that they were all low level monsters with low attack and defense points. Sawatari chuckled, "I'm giving them all to you! Those trash cards are gonna fit you like a glove."

Yuya looked down at the cards upset and then got a sad look on his face, "You call these cards trash?" He went down and picked them all up, he glared at Sawatari, "How could you? As a duelist, how can you treat cards like this?"

Sawatari looked at him with a smirk on his face, "For a duelist, power is everything. So weak cards like those are nothing but garbage, which is why they fit you perfectly since you're a pathetic duelist."

Nakajima looked at Reiji concerned, "I know you said this would give us important data about the Pendulum cards, but are you really sure this is okay?" Reiji nodded, "Yes, let him do as he pleases for now."

Sawatari then held his hand, "And now…" But before he finish, both him and Yuya heard the sound of grunting in pain and they both turned around to see what it was.

The grayish brown haired henchman was knocked over as he let go of the kids while grunting in pain. From behind him, appeared Mikleo who had half of his face covered with his bangs while having a frown on his face. The three kids were happy and relieved to see him, "Big Bro Mikleo!"

Yuya was happy and surprised to see his brother, "Mikleo!"

Sawatari was shocked and then irritated to see someone inferring in his plan, "Wha...How dare you?! Who are you?!"

Mikleo had his head lowered for a few more second before raising it up to see a pissed off expression on his face while glaring at Sawatari, "Mikleo...Yuya's brother." Mikleo proceeded to walk towards the other henchmen to free Yuzu and Ruri.

Reiji had an eyebrow as he heard the name, " _Mikleo?"_ From his understanding, Yuya did have an older brother but thought the name was familiar somehow. He was then interested in watching the scene unfold.

Sawatari gritted his teeth as he didn't know Yuya had an older brother and then ordered his henchmen, "Hey! Don't just stand there! Stop him!"

The two other henchmen nodded before letting go of both Yuzu and Ruri in order to charge at Mikleo. They were about to attempt to punch him but before they knew it, Mikleo delivered a fast spinning kick to the face of the green haired henchman, knocking him out instantly. The other one was shocked and then terrified for his own safety before Mikleo grabbed his neck and lifted him with one hand. He then delivered a few punches to the face before releasing him into the ground unconscious.

Sawatari had a horrified expression on his face as he saw how easily this guy took out his own henchmen.

Everyone else besides Yuya were amazed and also kind of frightened as they saw how strong Mikleo was in taking them out. Yuzu, especially, since she had honestly never seen this before; she had heard that this is how Mikleo sometimes protected Yuya from bullies but didn't really know much to the extent of it.

Yuya had a nervous smile as he sweatdropped. He will admit that his brother is extremely gifted in hand-to-hand combat and can be _a bit_ overprotective sometimes.

Mikleo was cracking his knuckles while still looking very angry at Sawatari, "Shingo Sawatari was it?" He then slowly walked over to him.

Sawatari was looking more nervous as he saw how the same person, who took out his henchmen, was getting closer to him.

Mikleo glared at him as he was walking, "You know, I don't really appreciate you having you pick on my brother. Especially, when it's concerning his deck. That kind of stuff _always_ pisses me off!"

Sawatari was slowly backing away as Mikleo was a few feet away, "Well...You see…"

Mikleo cracked his knuckles again, "So I'll give you two choices. You either walk away and give my brother his cards back or you would rather have me kick your ass so badly?"

Ruri couldn't help but feel that Mikleo was similar to her own brother in terms of being over protective although he may be more violent than Shun.

Sawatari was frozen as he was honestly frightened by him and couldn't answer back. But before Mikleo could deliver the damage, Yuya stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

Mikleo turned to look at his brother who had a determined expression on his face, "Mikleo, stop. Violence wouldn't solve anything. I got us into this mess so this is my fight. Please let me do this."

Yuya was honestly feeling guilty that he got himself and his friends in this situation so he's determined to fix it. Yuya appreciates what his brother just did but he needs to finish it his way. Plus, Yuya wanted to teach Sawatari a lesson on how a duelist should really be.

Mikleo had a neutral expression on his face as he saw how determined his brother looked. After silently understanding, he let out a sigh before backing off, "All right. The floor is yours little bro." He then turned around before saying to Yuya with a small smile, "Just don't lose to this idiot." Sawatari was silently fuming as Mikleo called him an idiot.

Yuya nodded as Mikleo walked back to where the others were. Sawatari was relieved that "his life was spared" although he didn't show it but it was very obvious to everyone that Mikleo frightened him.

Yuya looked at Sawatari with a raised fist, "If you want to duel me, fine. I'll gladly take my magicians back after I've beaten you!"

Sawatari then had a smirk on his face, "Heh. Well even though it didn't go exactly according to plan, I'll still crush you with _my_ new cards!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes at Sawatari while bringing out his duel disk and placing it on his arm, activating it.

Sawatari raised his hand, "I will choose the action field. Action Field, on! Prison Tower of Darktown!" Sawatari snapped his fingers as the action field appeared.

The ARC System activated as a city formed around them along with a tall tower with a bridge in between the two of them. Mikleo and the others were watching nearby Yuya from the sidelines.

Ruri was looking at Mikleo curiously, "Mikleo, how did you know we were here?" The others turned to look at him in order to hear his response.

Mikleo raised his arm and it showed him carrying some groceries bags, "I was finished shopping for mom and then heading home when I saw you guys talking to Sawatari. I got suspicious so I decided to follow you all and when I came here, I saw what Sawatari just did with Yuya's cards."

Ayu had a happy smile on her face, "Still, thank you for saving us Big Bro Mikleo."

Tatsuya then had a admirable look on his face, "Yeah, I had no idea you were this strong."

Futoshi also looked amazed, "It was so cool that it gave me the shivers."

Mikleo had a small smile as he turned toward the duel, "Thanks."

Both Yuzu and Ruri were concerned for Yuya as the duel commenced. Yuzu had her hand to her heart as she was worried for her friend, "Yuya…"

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **SAWATARI LP: 4000**

Yuya announced, "I'll take the first turn." Sawatari then smirked at him, "Go right ahead. It won't matter."

"My turn! Draw! I Normal Summon Entermate Whip Viper ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 900, LV: 4)!" Yuya drew and then summoned his Whip Viper to the field in attack position.

"I end my turn."

Sawatari still had a smirk as he look at Yuya, "It's my turn. Draw!" He drew his next card and looked at it. He then noticed that he already had Timegazer Magician in his hand. A smirk appeared on his face, he grabbed Timegazer Magician, "And now I'm gonna…"

However he froze when he heard a voice say, "Not yet, wait for the other magician!" Sawatari looked at his duel disk and saw an unknown call again, "Who are you? I was just getting to the good part here."

However the voice then spoke again more loudly, "I told you to hold on and wait!" Sawatari flinched a little when he heard the tone of the voice which meant there wasn't any room for discussion; he also realized that the voice belonged to Reiji Akaba and knew it was best to do as he was told, "I-I get it. You don't need to take it so seriously."

Sawatari then placed Timegazer Magician back into his hand before he grabbed another card in his hand, "I Normal Summon Lightning Board ( **ATK: 1400** , DEF: 1200, LV: 4)!" Sawatari summoned a monster that was a board with eyes and fangs that were trapped inside a jaw with lightning surrounding it.

Sawatari raised an eyebrow while looking at Yuya, who was not moving from his spot, "You're not going for an Action Card?" He was honestly a little confused as he saw how Yuya used Action Cards during his Strong Ishijima's duel and expected him to go for one which was part of his plan.

Yuya looked at Sawatari, "I don't need to go for one right now. Besides, I don't need Action Cards to beat you."

Sawatari clenched his teeth a little as it almost sounded like Yuya was underestimating him but then his face turned into a smirk, "Oh well, guess I have to go for Plan B."

Sawatari grabbed a card in his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Sacrifice Draw! I give up 1000 life points in order to draw 3 cards from my deck!" Sawatari gave some of his life points as he drew 3 cards and added them to his hand.

 **SAWATARI LP: 4000→3000**

"And next I activate the Equip Magic: Black Pendant and equip on to Lightning Board! It now gains 500 attack points!" A necklace with a black gem was hung around Lightning Board.

 **Lightning Board (ATK: 1400** → **1900)**

Sawatari then pointed towards his monster, "And now…" Before he could commence his battle phase, Yuya interrupted him.

"Before you do anything else, I activate Entermate Whip Viper's monster effect! It switches your Lightning Board's attack and defense points until the End Phase!"

 **Lightning Board (ATK: 1900** → **1200)**

Sawatari narrowed his eyes as he couldn't attack now. He grabbed another card in his hand, "I set a card and end my turn."

 **Lightning Board (ATK: 1200** → **1900)**

Yuya put his hand on his deck, "My turn! Draw!" Yuya pointed towards Whip Viper, "I activate…!"

Sawatari pushed a button on his duel disk before Yuya could finish, "Not so fast! I activate the Trap Card: Breakthrough Skill! Your Whip Viper's effect is negated until the end of this turn!" Sawatari's trap targeted Whip Viper which had its effects negated until the End Phase.

Yuya narrowed his eyes as well since he can't attack either. He instead settled with grabbing another card in his card, "I Normal Summon Entermate Amenboat ( **ATK: 500** , DEF: 1600, LV: 4)!" Yuya summoned a monster that looked like a mosquito with a top hat and it was floating on the water with white gloves.

"I end my turn." Since he couldn't activate Whip Viper's effect, Yuya felt that he couldn't do anything else right now.

Sawatari placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn! Draw!" He looked at the card and saw that he had drawn a magic card. He then heard Reiji speak to again through his duel disk, "You drew a good card there."

Sawatari looked at the card confused for a second before he got a look of realization on his face, "Oh, I see what you mean now."

He placed the magic card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Release Trade! I tribute one monster I control in order to add a monster that's one level higher than the one I released from my deck to my hand! I release Lightning Board!" Lightning Board disappeared from the field.

"And since Lightning Board was released, Black Pendant is destroyed. And when it is, you take 500 points of damage!"

 **YUYA LP: 4000** → **3500**

He took out his deck and looked through it. He grabbed one card before he shuffled the rest back into his duel disk and then held up the card, "The card I'm adding to my hand…" He turned the card around, "Is the Level 5 Stargazer Magician."

Yuya looked surprised and then a little irritated that Sawatari had his card, "Stargazer…"

Sawatari chuckled as he held Stargazer in his hand, "That's right. It's one of _my_ Pendulum Cards."

Yuya looked at him, "You can't do anything with only one Pendulum card though."

Sawatari chuckled, "Didn't I tell you already that I was the chosen one?"

Yuya's eyes widened a little as he understood what that meant, "You mean that…"

Sawatari chuckled as he placed Stargazer Magician in his hand, "That's right. I've had Timegazer Magician in my hand since the very start of the duel."

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little, " _That would mean that he could set the Pendulum Scale now. However, even with the footage of my first Pendulum Summon, even I was confused as to how the process worked at first. I doubt he would be able to do it on his very first try."_

Sawatari had a really cocky look on his face, "Super rare and awesome guys like me just have to use super rare and awesome cards. It's only natural." He laughed before he looked at Yuya again, "The cards must seriously love me man." He then continued to laugh while Yuya still had his eyes narrowed at him, silently hoping that Sawatari hasn't been able to figure out how the process to Pendulum Summoning worked.

Ayu was worried for Yuya, "Do you really think Sawatari can pull off a Pendulum Summon?"

Futoshi was doubting that suggestion, "No way! Yuya worked hard and long to figure out how it worked."

Tatsuya had faith in Yuya, "Even so. Yuya can beat him, I know it."

Ruri nodded as she knew how strong Yuya was during their duel so she had faith in him as well. Yuzu had faith in him as well but couldn't help feel worried for him. Mikleo, however, was a little skeptical of the situation.

Sawatari then stopped laughed he heard Reiji's voice, "Set your Pendulum cards."

Sawatari looked at his duel disk shocked, "Huh? Say what?"

Reiji stood up, "Set them." He raised his hand, "I use the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician…"

Sawatari, while panicking a little, then grabbed both of his Pendulum cards in his hand, "I-I use the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician…"

Yuya looked at him shocked, "No way...he can't seriously be about to…"

Reiji then spoke again, "And the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician…"

Sawatari then held up both his Pendulum cards, "And the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician…"

Then both of them said at the same time, "To set the Pendulum Scale!"

Sawatari then placed Timegazer Magician in the far left corner of his duel disk and Stargazer Magician in the far right corner of his duel disk. The word "PENDULUM" formed between the two cards.

Timegazer and Stargazer then appeared in two pillars of light with the numbers 1 and 8 in front of them.

Sawatari and Reiji then both yelled, "Pendulum Summon!"

Yuya then watched as three beams of light came down from the portal and landed on the field.

"First is the Level 5 Power Darts Shooter ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 700, LV: 5)!" A monster in orange armor with a arm that fired darts appeared on the field.

Sawatari then held up his, "And next is the Level 6 Rocket Darts Shooter ( **ATK: 1900** , DEF: 100, LV: 6)!" A monster in red armor with wings on its back and had a hand with three fingers that were shooters appeared on the field.

Sawatari then placed his final card on his duel disk, "And finally the Level 7 Ultimate Darts Shooter ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 300, LV: 7)!" A monster in blue armor that had an arm that looked like a long blaster appeared on the field as well.

Sawatari looked at his monsters amazed, "Wow, awesome! This is awesome! Pendulum summoning rocks just as much as I do!" He then laughed intensely.

The three kids looked surprised at what Sawatari just did, "No way!"

Yuzu had her hand to her heart, "Yuya…" Ruri was silently worried for Yuya as well.

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he just witnessed Sawatari Pendulum summoning monsters, " _He actually did it."_ However, what was strange to Yuya was how he managed to pull it off. It was faint but he could have sworn he saw Sawatari talking to someone on his duel disk for a moment so did that mean that someone instructed him on how to do it.

Unbeknownst to Yuya, that was exactly what Mikleo was thinking as he didn't think it was possible for pull off on his first try so he was suspicious as he eyes narrowed at the scene. He looked around the field to see if there was someone watching and finally caught a glimpse of a security camera that was pointed in the direction of the duel. Since his suspicion was confirmed, Mikleo backed away a little bit slowly so the others didn't notice and proceeded to take out his duel disk. It was his own custom duel disk that he made himself that had two screens similar to a laptop and was black as well. He then proceeded to type something on his duel disk as the duel continued.

At the same time, Reiji looked at the duel, "Good. Now the rest test begins." He locked his hands together in front of himself as he was watching.

The two magicians on the field were both looking at Yuya with an apologetic look since they were sorry as they were forced to obey Sawatari. Yuya nodded toward his monsters, " _Don't worry, I will get you both back."_

Sawatari then looked at Yuya, "And now that I can Pendulum summon myself, I have no more need for you." Sawatari pointed at his Yuya's monsters, "And don't think I haven't forgotten about Whip Viper's effect."

Sawatari raised his hand, "I activate the effect of Breakthrough Skill in my Graveyard! By banishing this card, one monster on my opponent's field has its effect negated until the End Phase! I choose Entermate Whip Viper!" Due to Sawatari's trap, Whip Viper's effect was negated once more.

"Battle! Power Darts Shooter attack Entermate Amenboat!" Power Darts launched its darts towards Amenboat.

Yuya pointed at his monster, "I activate Entermate Amenboat's monster effect! When it's attacked, I can switch it to defense position and negate the attack!" The darts vanished as Amenboat had its wings together so it formed a shield.

 **Entermate Amenboat** (ATK: 500→ **DEF: 1600** )

Sawatari gritted his teeth, "I missed?" He then held out his hand, "But I still have plenty of Pendulum summoned monsters left to attack you with."

He pointed at Amenboat, "Rocket Darts Shooter attack Entermate Amenboat!" Rocket Darts held its arm and launched its darts towards Amenboat. The darts connected and destroyed it.

"And now Ultimate Darts Shooter attack Entermate Whip Viper!" Ultimate Darts fired its darts toward Whip Viper and destroyed it. The explosion caused Yuya to cover his head with his arms for a few seconds.

 **YUYA LP: 3500** → **2800**

Sawatari looked at Yuya mockingly, "I now end my turn. You have no monsters on your field. Do you really still have the will to continue?"

Yuya had a neutral expression on his face and closed his eyes as he remember his times with his brother and father on how they taught him on how to be a true duelist.

Yuya then began to laugh happily while the others were confused. Sawatari looked at him shocked, "What are you laughing for?"

Yuya then stopped laughing and looked at Sawatari with a smile, " _If I falter, I can't have good confidence in my skills. Plus, like I always say, dueling makes people happy so I can't falter now."_

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "It's my turn! Draw!" Yuya then drew his next card and looked at it. A smirk appeared on his face, "I Normal Summon Block Spider ( **ATK: 0** , DEF: 100, LV: 1)!" A spider made out of legos appeared on the field.

Sawatari pointed at Block Spider with a mocking smile on his face, "A Level 1 monster with 0 attack points? That card is total garbage. And you were stupid enough to summon it in attack position?"

Yuya was still a little angry on the inside for Sawatari's insult as he was also technically mocking Ruri's deck since she has Level 1 monsters as well whether Sawatari realizes it or not. Yuya knew that Ruri loved her deck but didn't show his anger.

Instead Yuya looked at Sawatari with a smile on his face, "Actually Sawatari, it's thanks to this card that you threw away that I now have the chance to turn it around."

Sawatari looked at him with a smirk, "Hold on, you're saying that card used to be mine?" He shrugged his shoulders, "It's level is so low that I don't even remember having it the first place."

Yuya looked at him while a web formed in front of Block Spider, "As long as Block Spider is on my field, you can't attack any other of my monsters."

Sawatari looked at him, "That's great and all but that's the only monster on your field. What are you trying to do?"

Yuya grabbed a card in his hand, "I'm activating this, the Magic Card: Mimiclay! By switching Block Spider into defense position…" Block Spider then did a backflip in the air before it placed its hand in front of itself.

 **Block Spider** ( **ATK: 0** → **DEF: 100)**

A green clay figure then appeared next to Block Spider, "I can then Special Summon Mimiclay as an effect monster with the same name, attribute, and effect of a monster on the field."

Sawatari then looked at him, "So you're planning on copying one of my Darts Shooters?"

Yuya had a smile on his face, "Actually, no. I'm copying Block Spider!" The clay then changed its shape so that it looked like an exact copy of Block Spider except that it was green.

 **Block Spider** _ **(Mimiclay)**_ ( **DEF: 0** )

Sawatari looked at him surprised, "What?" Mimiclay then landed next to Block Spider.

Sawatari looked at Yuya with a smirk, "I was wondering what you were going to do, but you just simply doubled your garbage cards-" However, he soon got a look of realization on his face, "Wait a sec…"

Yuya's smile grew bigger, "That's right. When there are two Block Spiders, they protect each other with their webs. The first one protects the second one and vice versa which means that your monsters can't attack me anymore."

Sawatari gritted his teeth, "This wasn't within my predictions!"

Yuya then looked at two cards in his hands, " _All of the pieces are in place. It all depends on these two cards and I somehow have to get Sawatari to activate them. It's a long shot but I believe in my cards!"_ Yuya then placed two cards in his duel disk, "I set two cards and end my turn!"

The others were happy that Yuya managed to seal away Sawatari's monster for now.

Ayu was excited for Yuya, "Now Sawatari can't attack now!"

Tatsuya was cheering for Yuya, "Keep it up Big Bro Yuya!"

Sawatari gritted his teeth while clenching his fist, "My turn! Draw!" Sawatari looked at the card he drew and narrowed his eyes. He had drawn the Magic Card: Cricket Close that could make Yuya's Mimiclay useless but he needed to negate two Magic cards he controls first.

Sawatari then got an unknown call on his duel disk again and looked down; he heard Reiji's voice speak again, "The Pendulum Cards are most likely magic cards right now."

Sawatari then looked at Timegazer and Stargazer as he held his card, "Huh? Magic Cards?" He then looked at Cricket Close and a smirk appeared on his face.

Sawatari then laughed, "I knew the cards chose me!"

Yuya was confused by what Sawatari was implying, "What?"

Sawatari placed the card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Cricket Close! By negating two Magic cards I control, I can negate the effects of one of your cards!"

Yuya looked confused when he heard that, "Two magic cards?" Yuya then pressed the display button on his duel disk so it showed him what cards were on Sawatari's field. He narrowed his eyes as he only saw monsters on Sawatari's field, "But you don't have any magic cards on your field." He then noticed Timegazer and Stargazer and had a look of realization, "Wait a minute, you mean…"

Sawatari chuckled, "Looks like you figured it out. Pendulum Cards that are set in the Pendulum Zones are treated as magic cards! Which means that I negate Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician!"

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise as he didn't know that Pendulum Cards can be treated as magic cards. Although the more he thought about it, it made sense as to why half of their color was the color of a magic card.

Timegazer Magician and Stargazer Magician were restrained by dart boards as their effects got negated by Sawatari's magic card and the Pendulum Scale disappeared.

Sawatari pointed at Mimiclay, "And now I negate the effect of Mimiclay! And since Mimiclay lost its effect, it's destroyed and sent to the graveyard!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes as Mimiclay was destroyed. He was a little suspicious as to how Sawatari knew that. He thought he was imagining at first but he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of Sawatari talking to his duel disk. Did that mean that someone was giving him instructions?

Before Yuya could think about it any further, he turned towards Sawatari who had a smirk on his face, "Now Block Spider is once again a garbage card with 100 defense points."

He pointed towards Yuya, "You have only 2800 life points while I have three monsters on my field. I'm gonna bury you along with your garbage card!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "Not so fast Sawatari." Yuya pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Draw Muscle!"

Yuya looked at Sawatari, "When there's only one monster on my field with 1000 or fewer defense points, I can draw a card from my deck! If I draw a monster card, I can add its defense points to a monster on the field and it cannot be destroyed by battle this turn!"

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "Draw!" He looked at the card he drew and revealed it, "I drew Entermate Kaleido Scorpion! It has 2300 defense points and I add them to Block Spider!"

 **Block Spider** ( **DEF: 100** → **2400** )

Sawatari looked shocked, "2400 defense points! It's the same as Ultimate Darts Shooter's attack points."

Futoshi was excited, "Awesome! Now Sawatari can't attack anymore!"

Ayu and Tatsuya were excited as well as they both shouted, "Impressive, Big Bro Yuya!"

Yuzu and Ruri both smiled, relieved that Yuya managed to get out of that desperate situation. Mikleo was done with whatever he was typing and saw what Yuya did and smiled as well.

Sawatari glared at Yuya, "Damn you, doing things I didn't expect once again…!" However he then had a smirk on his face, "Just kidding." Yuya narrowed his eyes as Sawatari was laughing.

Sawatari looked at Yuya with a smirk, "That card won't matter anymore since I've already calculated your defeat on this turn!"

Sawatari grabbed a card in his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Berserk Alliance! When I have three or more monsters on my field, only one can attack this turn but its strength is doubled until the End Phase." Sawatari pointed at Ultimate Darts as there was an orange aura around it, powering it up.

 **Ultimate Darts Shooter** ( **ATK: 2400** → **4800)**

Yuya's eyes widened a little, "4800 attack points?!" Yuya narrowed his eyes again, "But Block Spider still can't be destroyed by battle this turn!"

Sawatari grinned, "By tributing Power Darts Shooter and Rocket Darts Shooter, I can power up Ultimate Darts Shooter!" Power Darts and Rocket Darts vanished and their weapons then attached themselves onto Ultimate Darts Shooter.

"Due to Power Dart Shooter's effect, Ultimate Darts Shooter gains 600 attack points! And Rocket Darts Shooter's effect allows Ultimate Darts Shooter to inflict piercing damage this turn!"

 **Ultimate Darts Shooter** ( **ATK: 4800** → **5400)**

Yuya's eyes widened as he realized that Ultimate Darts can now inflict damage to him.

Sawatari grinned at Yuya, "Ultimate Darts Shooter has 5400 attack points while Block Spider only has 2400 defense points which means even though it can't be destroyed, you'll still take 3000 points of damage!"

Sawatari pointed at Ultimate Darts Shooter with a smirk, "Now you're finished. Battle! Ultimate Darts Shooter attack Block Spider! Ultimate Full Shoot!" Ultimate Darts locked onto its target and unleashed a large rocket sized dart which spawned multiple small darts towards Block Spider.

Sawatari was looking at Yuya with a crazed smile as he's thinking he won, "It's over!"

Yuzu was worried that Yuya might lose the duel, "Yuya!" Ruri was worried for him as well, "Watch out!" The three kids were worried for him as well, "Big Bro Yuya!" Mikleo narrowed his eyes, silently pleading for his brother to survive.

Yuya looked unfazed as the attack got closer, the attack connected as Block Spider shielded Yuya from the full assault. Yuya had his face covered with his arms from the blast before revealing his face that had a smirk.

"I was waiting for this moment! I activate the Trap Card: Empty Fishing! I halve the damage I take and add two cards to my cards whose effects have been negated!"

Sawatari looked confused, "Cards that have been negated?" He then realized, "You don't mean…"

Yuya smiled, "That's right! Timegazer Magician and Stargazer Magician return to my hand!"

 **YUYA LP: 2800** → **1300**

Stargazer and Timegazer returned to field and left Sawatari's field over to Yuya's side. They both floated in front of Yuya and bowed in front of him before disappearing, " _Thank you Master Yuya."_ The two cards then floated towards Yuya and he caught them with a smile on his face.

Yuzu was happy for Yuya that he got his magicians, "He got them back!" Ruri was happy as well, "That's great, Yuya!" The three kids cheered for him, "Alright Big Bro Yuya!" Mikleo had a satisfied smile on his face.

Sawatari was shocked as to what just happened, "You calculated all of this to happen?"

Yuya had a small smile on his face, "That's right! But most importantly, I also believed in my cards!"

Sawatari had a look of disbelief and irritation on his face, "Believing?"

Sawatari then narrowed his eyes and pointed towards his monster, "I activate Ultimate Dart Shooter's effect! The tributed Darts monsters are Special Summoned at the end of the turn!" Ultimate Darts Shooter's weapon disappeared; Power Darts and Rocket Darts then appeared back on the field.

 **Ultimate Darts Shooter** ( **ATK: 5400** → **2400)**

 **Power Darts Shooter** ( **ATK: 1800** )

 **Rocket Darts Shooter** ( **ATK: 1900** )

"I end my turn."

Tatsuya looked surprised, "He has three monsters again!"

Sawatari then had a look of irritation as he pointed at Yuya, "If it won't go as I calculated, then I'll destroy everything!"

Yuya had a neutral look on his face before turning toward his friends with a apologetic smile, "Everyone, sorry that I got you all into this mess."

Ruri then shook her head with a sweet smile, "Don't be sorry, we chose to come as well Yuya. It's all of our fault. Besides we had faith in you."

Futoshi agreed, "That's right. It was so thrilling that it gave me the shivers."

Yuzu smiled while raising her fist, "Now turn the tables!"

Ayu cheered, "Do it!"

Mikleo nodded at his brother to finish the duel.

Sawatari narrowed his eyes irritably as he heard Yuya's friends cheering and supporting him.

Yuya then turned back to the duel with a smile, "My turn! Draw!" He looked at the card he drew and smiled. He grabbed his two magicians, "Let's go, Timegazer and Stargazer." Two smaller versions of them appeared in front of Yuya for a second and then shouted, " _Yeah!"_ He then held up the two cards in the air, "The fun has just begun!"

The entire city went dark as all of the lights slowly went off. Sawatari was looking around the place, confused by what was happening, "What?"

The three kids were excited for what was about to happen. Futoshi shouted, "It's time!" Tatsuya agreed, "It's finally starting!" Ayu then shouted out, "Everyone, all together now!"

Mikleo was smiling at the smile while Yuzu and Ruri raised their arms up and down as they both cheered, "Pendulum! Pendulum!"

From the sidelines, a boy with light blue hair tied up into a ponytail and spiked out along with wearing a blue jacket was cheering as well while holding candy, "Pendulum! Pendulum!"

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" A spotlight was then shown onto Yuya as he placed his right arm over his chest, "Today, I will show you all a fabulous light show!" Yuya grabbed his two magicians, "First, you can't talk about Pendulum without these two! Let's have today's two stars show up!"

"I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician!" The two magicians appeared again in two pillars of light with their signature numbers.

"Now I can summon monsters between Level 2 and 7 simultaneously! Swing, my soul's Pendulum! Draw an arc of light in the sky! Pendulum Summon! Come on out, my monsters!" A portal opened and out came three monsters.

"Appear! Entermate Turn Toad ( **ATK: 0** , DEF: 800, LV: 2, PS: 3)! Entermate Kaleido Scorpion ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 2300, LV: 6, PS: 4)! And Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7, PS: 4)!" The first monster that appeared resembled a green tree frog that was wearing a suit and a top hat while the second one was a red scorpion with a top hat and had a kaleidoscope as a tail.

The three kids were excited and cheered for Yuya, "Hooray! He did it!"

Ruri was happy as well but was also curious about the third monster Yuya just summoned. " _Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon…"_ For some reason, it reminded her of Yuto's dragon and another feeling she couldn't recognize at the moment.

Yuzu cheered for Yuya, "Perfect, Yuya!"

Sawatari scoffed at the cheer, "Perfect? Whatever! Kaleido Scorpion is Level 6 but only has 100 attack points? And Turn Toad has 0 attack points! They're all garbage cards!"

Yuya smirked at Sawatari's comment, "Oh really? We'll see about that. It honestly doesn't matter how many points a monster has. It is what you do with the card that matters. I activate Entermate Kaleido Scorpion's monster effect! Kaleido Search!" Kaleido Scorpion unleashed a colorful beam of light towards Sawatari's monsters, making each of them glow, while the whole field was surrounded by colorful patterns.

Sawatari looked at his monsters, surprised and confused by what was happening, "What's happening?"

Everyone else was in awe at the beautiful sight that was displayed around the field.

"I can activate this effect when there are Special Summoned monsters on my opponent's field and Pendulum Summoning counts as a Special Summon! The three monsters you have out all were Special Summoned, correct?" Yuya had a hand towards Sawatari as he asked a question.

Sawatari narrowed his eyes, "Yeah. So what?" Sawatari had a bad feeling about this.

Yuya turned towards his Odd-Eyes, "So now I target one monster on my field and it can now attack all Special Summoned monsters once each this turn! I select Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Kaleido Mirage!" Sawatari's glowing monster then produced beams of light towards Odd-Eyes which created two colorful copies of the monster that flew up into the air.

Ayu was admiring how pretty they looked, "How beautiful!"

Yuya nodded, "Yes it is. Now let's finish this, Odd-Eyes!" Odd-Eyes roared as well, " _This is the power of me and my partner!"_

"Battle! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack Ultimate Darts Shooter!" One of the mirages charged towards Ultimate Darts.

Tatsuya said excitedly, "When Odd-Eyes battles a monster, the battle damage dealt is doubled!"

Yuya nodded as he pointed toward Sawatari, "Exactly. So now you take double the damage."

Sawatari looked worried, "D-Double?"

The mirage rammed into Ultimate Darts Shooter and destroyed it which caused Sawatari to fall into the water.

 **SAWATARI LP: 3000** → **2800**

"I'm not done! Now Odd-Eyes attack Rocket Darts Shooter!" As Sawatari just got out of the water, the second mirage rammed into Rocket Darts Shooter and destroyed it.

Sawatari was running away from the explosion, "Again?" Unfortnately, the blast caught up with him and he landed on the floor face down.

 **SAWATARI LP: 2800** → **1600**

"And now Odd-Eyes attack Power Darts Shooter! Spiral Strike Burst!" Odd-Eyes jumped up and launched its attack toward Power Darts, " _This is for stealing my friends!"_

"And the damage is…" "Doubled!" Everyone else finished Yuya's sentence excitedly.

Sawatari was running away from the explosion again, "I know!" Once again, he landed on the floor face down.

 **SAWATARI LP: 1600** → **200**

Sawatari got up and looked at Yuya, "You did whatever you wanted. But I still have life points left! I'll still survive even if Kaleido Scorpion attacks me!"

Yuya still had a smile on his face, "Maybe so. But this duel is over. After all, we have Turn Toad and Block Spider to finish you off." Both monsters then moved in front of Yuya.

Sawatari raised his fist, "What? Nonsense! Block Spider is in defense position and both have 0 attack points."

Yuya closed his eyes for a second, "Sure. They currently can't attack."

Sawatari sighed for a moment, thinking he was safe until Yuya continued with a smile, "However…" Sawatari had a look of irritation, "What?"

"I activate Entermate Turn Toad's monster effect!" Turn Toad grabbed a shadow of Block Spider and flipped it over to the real one, switching it into attack position.

Block Spider ( **DEF: 2400** → **ATK: 2400** )

Sawatari backed up a little, looking worried, "Block Spider has 2400 attack points?

Yuya nodded, "That's right. During the Battle Phase, once per turn, Turn Toad can target one monster I control and switch its battle position. Not only that, but that monster also has its attack and defense points switched until the End Phase!"

Sawatari was looking more worried as he knew what this meant, "It can't be…"

Yuya then looked serious for a moment, "Sawatari, I hope you now realize that it doesn't matter what number of points a monster has but it is what you do with the card and its effect. There is no card that is useless as long as you use them right."

Sawatari backed away a little more as he couldn't find the words to retort back.

Yuya then smiled as he pointed toward Sawatari, "And now Block Spider attack Sawatari directly!" Sawatari watched in semi-horror as Block Spider charged straight at him and damaged him.

 **SAWATARI LP: 200** → **0**

 **YUYA: WIN  
** **SAWATARI: LOSE**

Everyone cheered for Yuya's victory with Yuzu shouting out, "You did it, Yuya!" The Action Field then disappeared as the duel was over.

Apparently, Sawatari's henchmen woke up a few minutes ago and saw what just happened as they were standing next to Sawatari who was on his knees.

While Sawatari was getting up, Yuya spoke up, "Sawatari, who was it that sent you?"

Everyone else looked at Yuya, confused as to what he was asking except for Mikleo who had the same suspicions his brother has. Sawatari had a look of irritation and confusion, "What?"

"There was no way you would immediately know how to Pendulum Summon or that they were magic cards. So someone must have given you instructions. So who was it?" Yuya was suspicious that someone asked Sawatari to steal Pendulum Cards otherwise some of the things that happened didn't make sense.

Sawatari narrowed his eyes as he didn't know Yuya was this observative. Sawatari scoffed, "I don't have to tell you anything."

He then looked at Yuya, "I guess I'll have to take your cards by force!" Sawatari looked at his lackeys and pointed at Yuya and the others, "Everyone, get them!"

They raised their arms, ready to strike, "Right!"

Yuya stood his ground ready to defend himself. Yuzu was ready as well since she had her paper fan. Mikleo looked ready to fight as well while Ruri stood in front of the kids, protecting them.

However, someone flew in past them and knocked out Sawatari's three friends in flash of speed. Before Sawatari could comprehend what just happened, he was knocked out as well.

Yuya's eyes widened as it was the same blue haired boy that he saw earlier. The boy had his back turned while looked at Sawatari and his friends, "These guys are so not cool."

The boy, who also had green eyes, turned around with an admired smile towards Yuya, "You were awesome!"

Yuya looked at him, "Are you an LDS student?"

The boy shook his head, "I was thinking about it but after seeing what these guys did, not anymore." He then looked at Yuya with a smile, "I want to become your apprentice."

Everyone had surprised looks on their faces including Mikleo after what this kid just proclaimed.

Yuya looked at him confused, "Huh? You want to be my apprentice?"

Sora smiled at him, "Yeah. If I'm going to learn, might as well learn from someone fun. Since arriving here, you're the most interesting person I've seen."

Ruri narrowed her eyes after hearing that, " _Since arriving here?"_ Ruri thought that seemed a bit fishy and then took a closer look at what the boy was wearing: a blue uniform and not just any uniform. This made Ruri wonder if this boy was one of _them_.

Yuzu pointed at Sawatari and the others, "What did you do?"

The boy turned around and looked at Yuzu, "Don't worry. I just knocked them unconscious, nothing more."

The boy put his hand out to Yuya, "I'm Sora Shiunin. Nice to meet you!"

Yuya looked at Sora a little troubled, wondering who he was, while shaking his hand, "Yeah…"

At the same time, Nakajima was looking at the screen, "Hurry up and follow them. We need to take back those Pendulum cards!"

However Reiji spoke at the moment, "No. That's good enough.

Nakajima turned towards Reiji and looked at him, "President…?"

Reiji looked at Yuya who was on the computer screen, "You gave me quite a good show Yuya...just like before." While he was a little disappointed that Yuya didn't show more of his developed skills, they have gotten enough important data about the Pendulum cards. " _This will really help us in the fight to come."_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE (NIGHTTIME)**

After him and his brother were finished eating dinner, Mikleo was in his room looking up some data he uncovered while hacking into Leo Corporation with his duel disk. He then listened to a recording of someone speaking even though it was just audio.

" _Set your Pendulum cards."_

" _Huh? Say what?"_

" _Set them. I use the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician…"_

" _I-I use the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician…"_

" _And the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician…"_

" _And the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician…"_

" _To set the Pendulum Scale!"_

Mikleo recognized that one of the voices belonged to Sawatari, confirming he was being instructed. The other voice however was a voice he and his brother hadn't heard in years but he still remembers it.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes, " _...Reiji Akaba."_ He hasn't seen him in years and wondered what this meant. He was now a little confused and concerned, " _...Why would Reiji care about Yuya's Pendulum cards...or Pendulum in general?"_

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Sacrifice Draw** (Magic Card): Pay 1000 life points. Draw 3 cards.

 **Berserk Alliance** (Magic Card): Activate only if you control at least 3 or more monsters. Target 1 monster you control; that monster is the only one that can attack this turn but its ATK are doubled until the End Phase.

 **Some OCG & Anime effects are changed for the sake of convenience **

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**I didn't really change much for the duel between Yuya and Sawatari because honestly I didn't really see much of a reason to. So I apologize if you were expecting something different. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll see you in the next one.**

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 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Yuya's Apprentice?! Sora Shiunin -** Since yesterday, Sora kept asking Yuya to be his apprentice but Yuya is really reluctant to be his teacher. Sora then challenged Yuya to a duel for the right to become his apprentice although...

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 **Like or please review ~**


	5. Yuya's Apprentice? Sora Shiunin

**Hello, everyone. If y'all read the summary then this chapter will definitely be interesting. There's a lot of things that will be different from this point forward. The third chapter was the first step and here comes the second. Thank you all for the comments on the last chapter and here's some of my responses as well:**

 **Knightdragon- To be honest, I was debating on whether or not Yuya would give his Pendulum cards to Sawatari but I figured why not since the chapter needed some story development. Otherwise, thank you for your comments.**

 **Raychiu- Yeah. To be honest, I actually forgot about that so I added a little extra detail to the last chapter so Ruri would recognize the uniform. Keep in mind that this is my first story and I'm not perfect so this stuff might happen sometimes. Thanks for the heads up.**

 **Matrixnis- My bad that I mistook what you meant by OP but it's all good. I'll probably address it later, especially with Reiji, but I'll say it now: Sawatari did see Ruri's face but didn't think much of it because, keep in mind, Sawatari just met Yuzu and Ruri for the first time and doesn't know about their situation so he thought she was probably Yuzu's twin sister or something since they have the same face.**

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 **Chapter 5 - Yuya's Apprentice?! Sora Shiunin**

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UNKNOWN SPACE - YUYA'S DREAM

Yuya opened his eyes and saw that he was in a dark empty space with nothing around him. He blinked his eyes and looked around, wondering where he was. He saw nothing around him, just empty darkness.

Then, out of nowhere, he heard a roar and then three more following that up. He turn to see where the source was and saw four dark images. It looked like dragons to him but couldn't see what exactly they looked like. Each of them are glowing in a different colored light. One was glowing purple, another was glowing gray, the third was glowing white, and the last one was glowing both red and green.

Yuya looked at the one that was glowing red and green and thought the dragon looked familiar; he then had a theory, " _Is that...Odd-Eyes?"_ He then looked at the other dragons, " _Who are these other dragons?"_

Before he could question further about what was happening, all four dragons then let out a roar as the entire area was glowing brightly, blinding Yuya for a minute. The dragons vanished as Yuya couldn't see at the moment. His pendulum was also glowing for a few seconds as the light got brighter.

* * *

HEARTLAND CITY - YUYA'S DREAM

Yuya felt that the brightness had dimmed out so he opened his eyes. He saw sunlight and a sky and thought he was home before looking down to see he was not in a familiar place.

It was a city that he hasn't been to before. Every building looked more colorful than his own Maiami City buildings. There were also two big differences compared to his home: there was a huge tower with a giant heart symbol at the top and there were also some robots moving around the streets and grass.

Yuya was amazed by pretty this city but at the same time was wondering where he was as he had never been here before. He looked around a little more and noticed that he was in the middle of a park. He saw a lot of people dueling each other but what was strange to him is that some of them are wearing a device over their eyes. Everyone looked like they were having fun dueling which put a smile on Yuya's face slowly.

" _This is a nice city. But I wonder where I am though?"_ Though seeing people happy always made Yuya happy as well, he still wondered where he was and wondered in this was somewhere offseas since the technology was a little different than what he was seeing. He heard some of the duelists talking.

"Aw man, I lost again. Can we duel once more?" "Get ready because I'm going to turn it around!" "Wow, this is a fun duel!"

Yuya's smile grew bigger as saw how happy they when dueling each other. After all, in his opinion, that's what dueling should be: being competitive, creating bonds, and having fun while dueling.

Before he could watch the dueling more, he noticed a large group walking towards them. Yuya had a curious expression on his face as he observed the group. Some of them were wearing blue uniforms, some wearing yellow uniforms and the rest were wearing red uniforms. There were even some that were wearing white masks with an odd design. But what was the most confusing is their duel disks, that were activated, had a design Yuya didn't recognize; it had a shield-like body design and the energy blades were shaped like a sword. Yuya was watching with confusion, wondering who they were as well, as they approached the other duelists.

The resident duelist turned to look at the approaching group with confusion as neither one of them had seen them before along with their strange outfits. One of them asked the group, "Who are you?"

All of them had sinister smirks on their faces as they raised their duel disks. The one that was closest the residents was pressing some buttons on his duel disks before his duel disk was shining towards the one was asking the question. That person was confusing and then freaking out for a second before turning into particles and disappearing.

Everyone else had shocked expressions on their face as that person just vanished in front of their eyes. A card then came out of the shining duel disk and the duelist then picked it up and showed what the image was. It was the same person that disappeared. He was inside the card. The duelist's smile grew more sinister as he showed the card.

Every resident had shocked and horrified expressions on their faces as they saw what happened. That person was turned into a card. Yuya was really shocked as well as he didn't know what was happening or that this was possible.

The other duelists, who still all had sinister grins on their faces, with uniforms then raised their hands with cards in them and placed in them in their duel disks. Giant mechanical monsters then appeared next to them and then launched attacks all around the area. Explosions were happening all around the area as the blasts were hitting everything around them as well.

When the blasts were happening, people who were confused and horrified before were now panicking as they didn't what was happening but ran for their lives. The group still had smiles on their faces and they slowly walked after them, showing confidence that they will catch up with them.

Everything was happening so fast that Yuya didn't know what to think. The monsters continued to lay destruction across every block of the city as buildings, properties, and streets were getting destroyed. Everyone was running for their lives but some couldn't escape as they were hit by a purple beam; they let out horrified screams as they were hit and then they each turned into a card.

In a matter of a minute, almost everything in this city was ruined and destroyed and more people were getting carded as they had no defense against this attack. To Yuya, it looked like a war zone especially considering how he just saw how beautiful this city was moment ago.

Yuya got over his shock and horror as he was watching this since he was too stunned to do anything. He had a sad expression with a mixture of disbelief, " _This...can't be real."_ Yuya couldn't believe what he was seeing, these unknown duelists were using dueling to hurt people. Sure, he had seen and met some cruel people that were intentionally trying to harm their opponent but this goes beyond anything he had ever seen. They were laying destruction everywhere they were going and what was worse was it seemed like they were enjoying it which sickened Yuya even more. He cared about the carding or whatever was happening at the time as well because it also almost seemed like they were trying to kill these people as well.

Yuya clenched his fists as he was furious by what he was seeing. He didn't know what was happening, which has been a recurring theme these past few days, but seeing all of this destruction and despair across the resident's faces, Yuya knew he could never ignore this and turned towards and ran towards the uniformed group.

He caught up with them and stopped in front of them as they were slowing walking towards him. He yelled at them as he showed himself, "Stop it! This is not dueling is supposed to be for! Why are you all doing this?!" Yuya demanded to know what reason these people have for causing all of this destruction.

None of the duelists answered as it looked like none of them even noticed Yuya in front of them as they continued walking with wide smirks while laughing.

Hearing them laugh was pissing Yuya off even more and was now more angry and confused, " _Are...Are they serious laughing at all of this?"_ Again, he didn't know what was going on but he was getting more angry that these people were causing pain while enjoying it even more.

Yet, despite how angry he was, being a nice person, Yuya tried to reason with them one more time, "Why are you laughing?! These are people's lives you're laughing at! Don't you care about the destruction you are all causing?" In his opinion, it probably wasn't the best reasoning he had right now, but he was still so angry that he is losing some of his sense of reasoning as well. And once again, he got no response from them as well.

Yuya gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as he saw they were ignoring them. He then decided to take action, " _Guess I have to reason with them with a duel!"_ Yuya proceeded to grab his duel disk but then felt nothing in his pocket. Confused, he looked and checked around and he didn't have his duel disk anywhere on him. Yuya was surprised as he didn't have it with him, " _I don't have it. What do I do now?!"_

Yuya thought about it for a few seconds and then had resolve, " _If I can't duel, I'll try something else!"_ He then ran towards them with a determined expression on his face. He ran really fast that a normal person couldn't see him with his speed. As he was around a couple feet away from them, he jumped and held his arm backwards ready to punch one of them.

Yuya doesn't usually resort to violence but he thought that maybe if he could knock them unconscious, they would stop dueling and thus stop causing destruction altogether. With resolve, Yuya then moved his arm forward about to punch the duelist that was closest to him and shouted, "Stop hurting everyone!"

However, Yuya was shocked when his punch didn't connect at all. In fact, his punch went through the duelist and then his entire body as he was landing on the ground. After landed on his feet, every other duelist literally then passed through him, looking oblivious as they passed Yuya.

Soon the entire army passed by him, with Yuya looking more confused as he wasn't touching anyone. He then looked at his own body and noticed that it was transparent and see-through, almost ghost-like. Yuya then realized why he couldn't hit them because he is just witnessing happening and they can't see him.

Yuya then had both an angry and sad expression as he realized that he can't do anything to stop them. He then turned and watched as the army proceeded to cause more destruction and carding more people, feeling helpless as he wasn't able to do anything.

Yuya had his eyes closed, looking down on the ground with a regretful expression on his face, " _I can't do anything. Am I just suppose to sit here and watch this happening?"_

Yuya was still upset as he fell down on his knees and punched the ground, "Damn it! Can't I do anything?!" There was silence expect for the sounds of buildings being destroyed and screams of the citizens. He didn't expect a reaction and was now feeling hopeless as the chaos continued. His pendulum then began to glow as it illuminated all around Yuya. He couldn't see anymore as his vision was filled with blue light.

 _End of Dreamscape_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

Yuya sat up straight from his bed with a semi-confused, horrified, and perplexed expression on his face while also feeling sweaty. His glowing pendulum then dimmed out as he woke up. He had just woke up from what he assumed was two dreams where one was a vision of four dragons including his own but the other was more horrifying.

It was a dream that he was in a beautiful city filled with robots and buildings along with peaceful duelists as well. However, strange people in uniforms then arrived and attacked them with duel monsters and what was more shocking was that they had the ability to turn people into cards. It was destruction all around as he couldn't do anything but watch and that frustrated him.

Once he got his composure back, he looked down with a confused expression, " _Was...Was that really a dream? It felt so real."_ Yuya was sweating and confused as he felt that was too real to be a dream even though he was see-through. It was almost like it was a vision of an event happening. Even if it wasn't a dream, he felt frustrated that he couldn't help those people in need.

He then thought that feeling frustrated wouldn't help anything so he decided to think for a minute. After thinking, he decided to just assume that it was a dream until otherwise. He can't do anything now since even he still wasn't sure what happened and why; plus he didn't even know where that unknown city is so he decided to talk to somebody about it later or figure out more about it before taking action.

He then looked down at his pendant as he thought about the dream before the second one. He was still curious about who those other dragons were. He took out a card from his deck and looked at it. It was his Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. He looked closely and pointed it out that his dragon was the same shape as the one that was glowing red and green.

The card was glowing and then a small orb of light appeared from it and Odd-Eyes appeared in a transparent miniature form in front of Yuya. Odd-Eyes was a little concerned, " _What's wrong, Yuya?"_

Yuya was still looking at his card while speaking, "I just had a weird dream. That's all." Yuya was trying to convince his ace monster that he was fine but his expression said otherwise.

Odd-Eyes remained unconvinced as he floated closer to his partner with a stern expression, " _Yuya. I can tell that something is troubling you."_

" _I concur. I insist that you inform us what is troubling you Master Yuya."_ Apparently Odd-Eyes Magician heard everything and decided come out in miniature form as well in concern for his duelist.

Yuya still had an unreadable expression on his face as he looked at his monsters, "I'm fine, really. I just had a weird dream about four different dragons." He didn't want to share the second part as it might trouble them more.

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon had his eyes narrowed as he heard his partner saying that, " _Four...different dragons?"_ Odd-Eyes could swear that he heard that before but couldn't recall.

Meanwhile Odd-Eyes Magician seemed a little unconvinced, " _That's all? There was nothing else?"_ He admits that he was also curious about the dragons but was more concerned for his master.

Yuya nodded with a smile, "Yeah. That's all there was. I was just a little confused by what I saw." He didn't want to confuse or trouble them anymore so he wanted them to drop it for now.

Odd-Eyes Magician nodded, " _As you wish, Yuya. Just so you know, we are always here for you Master."_ Odd-Eyes Magician then turned back into an orb and went back into his card.

Yuya smiled, thankful that his monsters were there when he needed them. He then turned to his Odd-Eyes dragon who was looking a little troubled at himself for some reason. Odd-Eyes was thinking to himself, " _Why do I have this weird feeling whenever I heard about four dragons?"_ Odd-Eyes had no idea why he was feeling this way.

Yuya was confused as his dragon seemed lost in thought. He snapped his fingers, trying to get his attention, "Odd-Eyes, are you okay?"

Odd-Eyes snapped his head upwards in surprise as he hadn't realized he was lost in thought. He turned towards Yuya, " _Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was just thinking about something."_ He then nodded at his partner, " _Well, if you're sure that you're okay. Then I trust you."_ Having said what he needed to say, Odd-Eyes turned back into a ball of light and went back into his card as well.

Yuya didn't think much about how weird Odd-Eyes was acting just now as he still a little curious about the dream he had. He is sure that Odd-Eyes is one of the dragons he saw and was still confused as to who the others were.

He then had an idea and placed Odd-Eyes back into his deck. He then searched and pulled out a blue card from his deck. It was a dragon that hadn't used in a long time since his training with his brother for a specific reason that he didn't want to share yet. He looked at the image of what the dragon was and thought it did look a little similar to the other three. " _He does look similar like the others but I don't think he's one of them."_ While Yuya thought there was some similarities, he knew his other dragon wasn't shaped liked the others so there goes that theory.

His card glowed for a second before an orb of light appeared from and out came another monster in transparent miniature form. It was a blue dragon that had gray armor on his knees, chest and shoulders, metal gauntlets on his arms, a silver horn on his head, parts of his wings were both white and blue and they were glowing bright blue as well. The dragon also had a blue jewel in the middle of his chest.

The dragon was staring at Yuya with an unreadable expression on his face before smiling, " _It's been a while, Yuya."_ The dragon looked happy to see his duelist after a while since he had been called.

Yuya smiled a bit while chuckling, "Likewise, Mystic." This blue dragon's name was Mystic as he was one of Yuya's most powerful monsters alongside his Odd-Eyes. It had been a while seen he had seen him since he hasn't used him in a duel for a while. If Yuya was honest, he has a bond with Mystic as much as he has a bond with his Odd-Eyes as well.

Mystic looked at Yuya with his black pupils, " _Is there anything you need?"_ He was curious as to what reason Yuya pulled out his card as he didn't heard the commotion earlier.

Yuya smiled at him, "Nah. I just wanted to chat with an old friend." Yuya didn't want to bother his dragon by saying he had a weird dream which is the reason he had to look at his card so he didn't anything about it. Although Yuya has been wanting to chat with his friend earlier, he just honestly kept forgetting with everything happening. Now he finally has the chance to talk to him again.

Mystic nodded his head, " _I've have been watching your battles, my friend. You grow stronger with each experience."_ Mystic was proud of his master for getting stronger and growing as a duelist.

Yuya smiled sheepishly as he scratched his neck, "Thanks. But I don't think I'm that great." While he was happy that he always received praise for his dueling, he didn't feel like he needed it as he was just happy with dueling anyway.

Mystic laughed a bit, " _Humble as always Yuya. But then that's one of the reasons why I am proud to fight alongside you."_

Yuya chuckled a bit, "Thanks Mystic." Yuya then looked at his lap with a sad expression, "Listen, I'm sorry that I haven't used you in awhile…"

Mystic interrupted Yuya before he could talk further, " _Don't apologize. I know your reasons."_ He then floated and landed on Yuya's left knee, " _You chose your own path as a duelist and I respect that."_

Yuya then looked at him with a small smile, "Thanks."

Mystic then had a determined expression on his face, " _But I do wonder, when can you finally use me again?"_ Mystic had been wanting to join Yuya again since he was first given to Yuya and dueled with him. He was ready to fight for him again.

Yuya had a smirk on his face along with determination, "Soon Mystic. I am just waiting for the right time." Honestly Yuya had been wanting to use Mystic again, since he dueled Strong. He just hadn't gotten the chance yet.

Mystic then nodded and smiled, " _As you wish. Whenever you need me, I will be at your call."_ Mystic then turned into a ball and disappeared back into his card.

Yuya smiled as he placed his card back into his deck. He was happy that he finally was able to talk his other dragon again. He then decided to finally get dressed and leave the room. He changed out of his pajamas and changed into his normal clothes. He went to the bathroom and washed his face.

He exited his room as he was thinking about what happened yesterday. He rubbed the back of his head as he thought about Sora, "Seriously, what was with that guy? He just showed up and wanted to be my apprentice. What was that all about?"

However, he soon heard barking and looked to his right and saw a cat and dog walking towards him. He smiled at them, "Ang, Kohru!"

He then bent down and picked up the dog in his hands and smiled at him while the dog looked at him happily, "Ang, man you sure have gotten big. When mom brought you home with her, you were small enough to fit in the palm of my hand." Ang barked happily and Yuya chuckled a little.

Yuya then smiled while feeling a little troubled. He really loved his mom, but one problem with her was that she would bring home anything she considered cute which is why they have had a lot of dogs and cats in their home.

Yuya then looked down on the cat that was leaning on his leg, "And good morning to you too, Kohru." Kohru meowed at him happily.

Yuya then heard his mom speaking downstairs, "I just knew you were hungry. You poor little thing, so please eat as much as you want." Yuya was a little confused, did his mom adopt another animal?

He put Ang down and ran over to the fire pole and slid down it before he landed on the first floor of the living room. Mikleo was on the couch reading a book. Yuya then turned around towards the kitchen, "Mom, did you pick up another stray…?"

However, he got quiet as he was shocked that he was seeing Sora sitting at their dinner table. Sora smiled at Yuya, "Ah, teacher! Good morning." Yuya fell to the ground in shock over seeing Sora in his home this early in the morning.

Yuya then got up and ran over to the table; he looked at Sora, "Why are you here?"

Sora kept eating his pancakes. Yoko then placed out a plate on the table for Yuya with pancakes with syrup on them, "Well, I found him wandering around our house outside and you know me, whenever I see hungry little ones I just can't help myself."

Yuya looked at his mom while he sweatdropped, "Picking up stray animals is one thing, but you can't just pick up humans and take them home."

Yoko looked at him, "But isn't this kid your apprentice? That's what he told me."

Yuya slammed his hands on the table, "No, he's not my apprentice!"

Sora looked at him shocked, "Whaaat?"

Yuya looked at Sora, "Don't say "whaaat" like it comes to a big shock to you, after all I never agreed to it." Yuya sighed tiredly, "Sheesh. Not only did you say things like that to get into my house, but you're also eating breakfast."

Mikleo, who was still reading, called out, "It's no use, Yuya. I tried before mom refused to let him leave without eating." Honestly, Mikleo didn't like it either especially since he doesn't know anything about this boy but his mom will be his mom he supposes.

Sora looked at Yoko, "It's no big deal and besides your big sister's pancakes are super delicious."

Yoko looked at Sora shocked, "Huh? His Big Sister?"

Sora looked at her confused, "Did I get it wrong? I'm sorry, it's just that you look so beautiful and young that I believed you were teacher's sister."

Yoko looked really happy when she heard that, "Oh my, calling me young and beautiful! You must be quite an honest child!" She then grabbed Yuya's plate, "If you liked my pancakes so much, then please have some more."

Yuya looked at his mom shocked, "Wait, mom! That's my…"

However he got interrupted by Sora who was smiling at Yoko, "Thank you so much big sis."

Yuya saw how happy his mom got again and sighed, figured that he wouldn't get much breakfast this morning if got any at all.

However, after a few seconds, Yuya then decided to take a closer look at the uniform that Sora was wearing and thought it looked familiar. His eyes widened a little as he remembered that uniform looked exactly like some of the ones those duelists, who were destroying a city, were wearing in his dream. Yuya wasn't sure what this meant, " _They look exactly the same. Is it a coincidence?"_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - MAIAMI HIGH SCHOOL**

Yuya was walking towards school with Yuzu right next to him. Yuzu looked at Yuya with a troubled smile after hearing what had happened earlier, "So this boy, Sora, is at your home right now?"

Yuya sighed with his hands behind his head, "Yeah. I have no idea how but he found out where I live, and then he keeps calling me teacher on his own without my permission." They then heard a voice behind them calling out, "Teacher!"

Yuya closed his eyes, "Just like that." However, he soon stopped as he realized that it was Sora's voice speaking to him and turned around to see him walking behind them, "You?!" Sora chuckled a little in response.

Yuya asked, "Why are you following me?"

Sora smiled at him, "Well because I'm your apprentice, teacher. I go wherever my teacher goes."

Yuya turned towards Sora, "I keep telling you, I never agreed to making you my apprentice in the first place. So how many times do I have to…"

Sora, however, began waving with his arms, "Come on! Let me be your apprentice! I really enjoyed watching you duel teacher. That Pendulum summoning is just too amazing, I have never seen anything like it."

He turned around and looked at the sky excited, "I would like to be able to do that as well."

Yuya sighed while he looked at him, "Well, you can't exactly Pendulum summon if you don't have any Pendulum cards to begin with."

Sora then turned around and looked at Yuya with a disappointed look on his face, "Then can you please show me again. Please, please, please!"

Sora then turned towards Yuzu, "Hey, can you ask him to show it to me again?"

Yuzu looked at Sora a little troubled, "Why should I do that?"

Sora looked at her, "Because teacher might do it if his girlfriend asks him to do it."

Yuzu felt her cheeks getting hot as she was blushing and how her heart started to beat faster, "G-Girlfriend?"

Sora looked at her and Yuya confused, "Huh? Did I misunderstand?"

Yuya and Yuzu glared at Sora and yelled at the same time, "You did!"

Yuzu looked away embarrassed as she was trying to hide the redness on her face. Yuya was also embarrassed but hid his emotion by calmly replying, "No, Sora we are not boyfriend and girlfriend, aren't we Yuzu?" He asked Yuzu to back up his claim but she was distracted by something.

"Yuzu?" He said trying to get her attention which caused her to look at him. "Y-yes Yuya?" She said having not heard him the first time.

Yuya looked at her, "I was asking you to tell him that we aren't together!"

"Oh...yes he's right Sora." she said finally getting what Yuya was going on about.

Yuya looked at Yuzu more closely, a bit concerned, "Are you okay, Yuzu?"

Yuzu was confused, "Yeah, why do you ask?" She didn't realize that she still had a bit blush on her face.

Yuya pointed at her, "Well, it's just that your face is really red!"

She blushed even more as she heard him say that. She ran through multiple scenarios in her head, wondering what she should do. Not really wanting to tell her feelings, she went with the closest thing she could think of.

...

 ***SMACK*** Out of nowhere, she brought out her fan and smacked Yuya in the face with it, making him spin around. He landed on his knees with a bruise on his face, and then the fan vanished. She walked away, with the blush now stronger, leaving Yuya on the floor with his arms in the air and his fingers twitching.

Sora sweatdropped as he looked at Yuya, "Teacher, are you okay?" He was hoping to make Yuya feel better.

* * *

Yuya arrived in the classroom with Yuzu sitting next to him. He was rubbing the bruise on his face, "Why did you slap me, Yuzu? That seriously hurt you know…" He was confused as to why Yuzu did that as usually she does whenever he deserves it but he doesn't recall doing anything that would provoke her.

Yuzu refused to look at Yuya, "Sorry. I wasn't thinking when I did that." She really didn't want to share the real reason why she did it. To get out of that embarrassing situation and avoid telling Yuya how she feels about him which is more than just a childhood friend. If she told him, it could ruin her friendship with him and she doesn't want that.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, feeling a little suspicious but decided to drop it as he didn't want another slap to the face. He brought out his school equipment as he said, "It's alright, Yuzu." Hearing him say that brought a smile to Yuzu's face. He couldn't talk to her anymore as the teacher entered the classroom to begin their lesson.

A little while later, while a science lesson was given, Yuya had a book in front of him so the teacher wouldn't be able to see him looking at Stargazer Magician, Timegazer Magician, Odd-Eyes Magician, and the rest of his Pendulum cards. He was pondering some recent things that have been happening these past couple days, " _I guess it is true, anybody can learn how to Pendulum summon if they had Pendulum cards. After all, Sawatari managed to do it._

" _Speaking of which, Sawatari was sent by someone to take my magicians I imagine. But who could it be?"_ Yuya was drawing a blank as he wasn't sure who could possibly be after his Pendulum cards. It makes sense since he's the only one that official has them right now anymore unless someone makes more Pendulum cards. The only ones who could do that, to his knowledge, was some companies such as LDS, Kaiba Corp, and others he can't remember. He hasn't heard anything about them making Pendulum cards, of course a lot of people only saw it one time during his duel with Strong Ishijima.

Yuya summarized that whoever ordered Sawatari was also smart enough to teach him how to Pendulum summon on his first try. He rounded up the recent facts: Sawatari is a part of LDS so it's someone from LDS and he was smart enough to learn about Pendulum summon just from footage of the first time he did Pendulum summon. He was thinking for a few seconds but then had a theory: there was only one person he knew that could possibly do that.

In his memory, a flash of gray hair and someone wearing glasses appeared in his mind. Yuya had some doubts, " _It can't be...I haven't heard about him in five years. But...it would make sense."_ While it might be true that it could be someone else that Yuya doesn't know about, he could only theorize what he knew right now his theories point to Reiji. Yuya narrowed his eyes as he stared at his Pendulum cards, " _But...something doesn't add up. Why would Reiji care about Pendulum cards?"_ Then again, he hasn't seen him in a while so maybe Reiji has changed; he doesn't know what to think right now. After thinking about it for a minute, he decided to think about that later as he doesn't have all of the facts, just theories in his head.

Meanwhile, while Yuya was in his own mind, Yuzu was looking at him with a worried expression on her face. She saw that Yuya might seemed a little troubled by something and wondered what she could do to help.

His thoughts then turned to his recent dream and Sora, " _Why does Sora have the same uniform as the ones in my dream?"_ At first, Yuya thought it was probably a bad dream he had, but seeing the exact same clothing on someone else had him questioning it. He thought about how violent those uniformed duelists were to the citizens and the city; he then compared them to Sora, " _Sora doesn't seem like the type to hurt someone but then again what do I know?"_ True, he had the dream right after he met Sora but he wasn't really paying much attention to the clothing he was wearing until today. He thought that it can't be a coincidence but he don't know what to think either. He doesn't even know if the dream was real or not.

He was getting frustrated that so much has happened that he had more questions than answers. Either he is getting too worked up over just one dream he had or maybe he needs to talk to his brother about this sometime. He needs to decide later on.

Meanwhile, Sora was hanging upside down in a tree and looking at Yuya with binoculars, "Hm, looks like teacher is feeling troubled, wonder why?"

Sora would then appear from time to time wherever Yuya was. At a soccer game, when he was having lunch with Yuzu, he appeared under Yuya's desk and Yuya had no clue how he got under there, and whenever Yuya was sitting in the restroom.

* * *

Yuya and Yuzu were walking away side by side from the school as class was over. Yuya let out a deep sigh as he was feeling tired.

Yuzu looked at Yuya, "Come on, Yuya. Stop being depressed now."

Yuya sighed again, "But…"

Yuzu put her hand on his shoulder to get his attention; she looked at him with a smile, "Yuya, isn't being a fun, friendly duelist what you do best for our school? Isn't that who you are?"

Yuya looked at her for a few seconds before sighing and then smiling at her, "You're right. I won't let that kid bother me anymore. Come on, let's get going to You Show." Yuzu nodded with a smile as she saw that Yuya was back to normal.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Yuya and Yuzu had just entered You Show and Yuya held out his hand with a smile, "Hello, everyone! Yuya has arri…"

However he got silent as he saw that Sora was sitting next to Ayu, Tatsuya, and Futoshi. Sora stood up with a smile, "Teacher!"

Yuya then fell down to the floor with his face flat; he then jumped up and looked at him, "You? You're here as well?"

Futoshi looked at Yuya, "You're late Big Bro Yuya."

Ayu nodded with a smile, "Yeah. Your apprentice was waiting for you."

Yuya looked at them shocked before sweatdropping, "Huh? Come on you guys, he's not my…"

However he then felt someone pulling him backwards and then saw Shuzo before he placed his arm around Yuya's shoulders, "So Yuya, since this kid is your apprentice, that means he's enrolling in You Show, right?"

Yuya removed Shuzo's arm from his shoulder, "I keep telling you all that he's not my apprentice, that's just something he decided on his own." Meanwhile, Mikleo and Ruri arrived in the room as the heard the commotion, wondering what was up.

Sora walked towards him, "Hey teacher, let's duel and you can show me more Pendulum summoning. It was so cool when you pulled it off and all those monsters appeared just like that." He looked at Yuya with a smile, "I'm looking forward to dueling you, teacher!"

Yuya looked at Sora with his eyes narrowed a little, "Why do I have to duel you?"

Sora then got a sad look on his face, "Huh? We can't?" He then got an adorable begging look on his face, "Teacher, you really...don't want to duel against me?"

The kids looked at Sora with smiles, thinking that he was too adorable to turn down.

Ayu looked at Yuya, "I feel bad for him, Big Bro Yuya."

Futoshi looked at Yuya as well, "Let him duel you, Big Bro Yuya."

Yuya looked at the kids surprised that they were taking Sora's side instead of his, "Huh?"

Yuzu, who also thought that Sora was too adorable, nodded as well, "Sure, one duel wouldn't hurt right Yuya?" Yuya looked at her shocked that she was also taking Sora's side.

Mikleo chuckled a little as he saw how his brother was getting outnumbered in accepting the duel even though he was still a little sketchy about this kid. Ruri, however, was more skeptical of the situation as she had a small frown on her face since how this kid was willing to beg for a duel especially considering who he might be.

Shuzo then looked at Yuya with a determined expression on his face, "Yuya!" Yuya turned towards him as he heard Shuzo continuing, "I don't recall teaching you to run away from a challenge!" Yuya looked at him troubled, he was always up for a duel but he felt like if he accepted then that would encourage Sora even more to be his apprentice which is something he didn't want.

However, he soon heard Sora speak to him, "Teacher." Yuya looked forward and saw Sora was looking at him with a pleading smile, "Please duel with me."

Yuya looked at him while sighing and rubbing the back of his head. He looked the others who wanted Yuya to accept. He sighed again, "Fine. I'll duel you."

Sora held up his arm happily, "Hooray!"

But Yuya held out his right hand, "However there is one condition, if I win then you stop following me around and you drop this apprentice and teacher nonsense as well, understood?" Sora nodded with a smile.

Sora looked at him, "But if I win, I get to be your apprentice, call you teacher and get to hang out with you." Yuya sweatdropped at his response.

* * *

A little while later, both Yuya and Sora were in the arena of You Show while the others were watching from the sidelines.

Yuya looked at Sora curiously, "Before we duel Sora, let me ask you something." He had to ask something that has been bothering him for a while.

Sora looked at him confused, "What is it, teacher?"

Yuya sighed but then continued, "What is that uniform you're wearing?" Even though what he saw might be just a dream, he was really curious as to what exactly Sora was wearing as he doesn't believe he has seen in Maiami City before.

Ruri's eyes widened a little as she heard Yuya ask that. She was surprised that Yuya asked that question especially since he doesn't know about Academia so why is he asking?

Sora had half of his face covered by his bangs with an unreadable expression on his face as he didn't answer. Yuya was wondering if he was going to answer or not until Sora raised his head with a sweet smile, "Oh, this is just something I wear a lot that's all."

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little as he thought the response seemed a little suspicious but then decided to drop it for now as he didn't want to be asked why he asked that question.

Sora, however, was thinking on the inside, " _I probably should have changed before I came here but I love my uniform."_ Sora then had a hidden smirk on his face, " _Now then, let's see what this guy has got."_

Shuzo spoke through the mike in the control room, "Now, let's have an exciting duel and let's see who will be the last man standing."

Sora then got an excited look on his face, "Oh man, this is gonna be so much fun!"

At that time, Shuzo held up his hand, "And now, action field on!" He pressed a button, "Wild West Duel Town!"

The action field activated and Yuya smiled when he saw that the action field looked like the old west, it was a classic field where two people would duel in old west.

However, Sora looked around with a dissatisfied look, "Huh? What is this? This is kind of lame. I don't like it."

Shuzo looked shocked when he heard that. Sora turned towards Shuzo with his arms held up, "Hey, don't you have a more fun or interesting field." Yuya sweatdropped and sighed when he heard that.

Shuzo looked troubled, "Umm...Alright, then how about this!" He said with a smile as he pressed another button. The action field then changed from the old west into a country made of candy.

Sora moved around, satisfied and happy, "Wow, it is a country completely made out of candy! This looks so delicious! I love these kinds of things, thank you mister!"

Shuzo smiled with stars in his eyes, "He's just too adorable!"

Yuya sighed, "Sheesh."

Yuya and Sora activated their duel disks and stood in front of each other, ready to duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **SORA LP: 4000**

Yuya smiled at Sora, "I'll go first. My turn! Draw!" He pulled a card from his hand, "I Normal Summon Entermate Secondonkey (ATK: 1000, **DEF: 2000** , LV: 4)!"

Yuya pointed at Secondonkey, "When Entermate Secondonkey is Normal Summoned, I can send 1 "Entermate" monster from my deck to the graveyard." Yuya sends Entermate Thunderhino thanks to his monster's effect.

Yuya pulled another card from his hand, "Now then, since I control an "Entermate" monster on my field, I can Special Summon Entermate Security Jackal ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 600, LV: 3)!" Since he controlled Secondonkey, Yuya summoned a monster that resembled a jackal that was wearing a police outfit and face paint over its eyes. It was standing on its four legs also wearing a hat with a flashing red and blue police siren on top.

Yuya looked at Sora, "And now I activate the Continuous Magic: Shard of Greed!" A piece that resembled Pot of Greed appeared and floated next to Yuya while glowing.

Yuya smiled, "That's all for now. I end my turn."

Sora smiled as he began his turn, "It's my turn. Draw!" Sora looked at the card he drew and smiled, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Toy Vendor from my hand." A vending machine that had arms, legs, and eyes appeared on the field behind Sora.

Sora looked at Yuya with a smile, "Once per turn, Toy Vendor lets me send a card from my hand to the graveyard and then I can draw a card from my deck." Sora grabbed Fusion Recovery in his hand, "I don't need this." He sent it to the graveyard.

A coin then got inserted into the machine. Sora smiled, "If the card I draw is a Level 4 or below monster, I can Special Summon it. Otherwise, it is sent to the graveyard."

Sora then placed his fingers on his deck, "Now I draw!"

He drew his next card and looked at it, "The card I drew…" He then turned the card around to show it, "Is Furnimal Bear ( **ATK: 1200** , DEF: 800, LV: 3)! It is a Level 3 monster so now I special summon it!" A small capsule rolled out of the machine and it opened; a monster then came out onto the field that resembled a pink stuffed teddy bear with angel wings on its back and a red scarf around its neck.

Sora then grabbed a card in his hand, "And now I Normal Summon Furnimal Lion ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 1200, LV: 4)!" Sora summoned a monster that resembled a yellow stuffed lion with angel wings.

Shuzo looked at Sora with an impressed look on his face, "He used his continuous magic to bring out two monsters on the field immediately."

Yuzu looked equally as impressed, "It looks like he's better at dueling than I expected."

Mikleo had his arms crossed with a neutral expression as he watched the duel although he was intrigued by how good Sora might actually be. Ruri had a intrigued expression on her face as she was curious about how Sora duels as well.

Ayu smiled, "But both of his monsters are…" She and Yuzu looked at each other with agreement and then said together, "So cute!" Ruri couldn't help giggle at the two of them.

Yuya sweatdropped as he looked at the girls, "Geez." While he will admit, they are cute but there's more to monsters than cuteness and Yuya had a feeling he will find out soon.

Sora pointed at Yuya, "And now it is time for a battle, teacher. Battle! Furnimal Lion attack Entermate Security Jackal!" Furnimal Lion then jumped up and floated towards Security Jackal, "When Furnimal Lion attacks, it gains 500 attack points until the end of the battle phase."

 **Furnimal Lion** ( **ATK: 1600** → **2100** )

Yuya, however, looked unfazed as he smiled and pointed at Security Jackal, "I activate Entermate Security Jackal's monster effect! Once per turn, when this card is attacked, I can change the attacking monster into defense position!" Security Jackal then let out a loud roar which force Furnimal Lion into defense position.

 **Furnimal Lion** ( **ATK: 2100** → **DEF: 1200** )

Sora pouted a little as he couldn't destroy Jackal, "Well that's not fair." Sora grabbed a card from his hand and then smiled, "Oh well, I set a card and end my turn." With nothing else to do, Sora placed a face down and ended his turn.

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "It's my turn. Draw!" Yuya pointed at Shard of Greed, "Shard of Greed's effect activates! Each time I draw a card during my Draw Phase, it gains a Greed Counter." A symbol that resembled a greedy face was placed on the shard.

 **Shard of Greed** ( **GC: 0→1** )

Yuya smiled at Sora, "I activate the Magic Card: Pendulum Call! By discarding a card from my hand, I can add two "Magician" Pendulum monsters from my deck to my hand!"

Sora looked at Yuya excitedly, "So that means..."

Yuya nodded, "That's right." Yuya discarded Barrier Magician and then added two cards to his hand, "I add Dragonpulse Magician and Dragonpit Magician to my hand!"

Yuya smiled at Sora, "Now then, I think I will now show you what you have been waiting for."

Sora was excited, "Can it be?"

Yuya grabbed two cards from his hand and began the chant, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Dragonpulse Magician and Scale 8 Dragonpit Magician!"

Futoshi smiled at the scene, "It's happening!"

Tatsuya was excited as well, "Pendulum Summon!" The others smiled as well as they enjoyed seeing Yuya Pendulum summon.

Yuya had a smirk on his face, "And now I can monsters between levels 2 and 7 simultaneously!" The giant pendulum then appeared along with the two magicians.

"Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light in the sky!"

Sora was watching all of this with an admired look of awe on his face.

"Pendulum Summon! Come on out, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7, PS: 4)!" From the portal came out one monster on the field which was Odd-Eyes who let out a roar as he was summoned.

Sora's eyes were sparkling when he saw this, "Wow, that is so amazing teacher!"

Yuya smiled, "I switch Entermate Secondonkey into attack position." Yuya rotated the card around which also switched Secondonkey into attack position.

 **Entermate Secondonkey** ( **DEF: 2000→ATK: 1000** )

Yuya then pointed towards Sora, "And now, Odd-Eyes Pendulum attack Furnimal Bear! Spiral Strike Burst!" Odd-Eyes unleashed his attack towards Furnimal Bear, "Odd-Eyes's monster effect activates! When this card is battling a monster, the damage inflicted to my opponent is doubled! Reaction Force!" Odd-Eyes's attack grew stronger as it hit Furnimal Bear and destroyed it.

 **SORA LP: 4000→2400**

Sora watched with shock as his monster was destroyed as he covered himself with his arms to protect himself from the blast.

Yuya smiled, "Entermate Security Jackal attack Furnimal Lion!" Security Jackal ran straight forward to Furnimal Lion. Jackal scratched its claws on Lion and destroyed it.

"And now, Entermate Secondonkey attack Sora directly!" Secondonkey charged forward and headbutted Sora which made him fly a few feet back as he landed on his back into a pile of marshmallows.

 **SORA LP: 2400→1400**

Shuzo looked really excited, "Man this is intense. Taking away 2600 points in a single turn, now this a hot-blooded duel!" Yuzu looked at her father with a troubled smile on her face.

Everyone then looked at Sora a little concerned as he continued to lie on his back. Ayu looked at him and got really worried, "Is he okay?"

While Ruri was a little concerned for him, she also had her eyes narrowed as she a feeling that the duel was just getting started. Ruri theorized, " _I feel like that isn't enough to keep him down."_

Shuzo looked at Yuya, "Yuya, don't you think that was a little too hot-blooded?"

Yuzu nodded to Yuya as well, "Yeah come on Yuya! Don't you feel sorry for him?"

Yuya looked at them confused, "Huh? Come on, this is a duel after all. Even if he wants me to…"

However, Yuya got quiet as everyone heard Sora laughing. He then got back up on his feet with a smile on his face, "That's what I wanted to see teacher! Monsters appearing on the field in a flash and then unleashed lightning fast attacks. That's so awesome, I knew Pendulum monsters were the best!"

Yuya looked at Sora a little surprise but then smiled. There were not many duelist he had met that could take around 3000 points of damage in one turn and still be smiling. Most people would be frustrated over it but it seemed like Sora really enjoyed watching Yuya using his Pendulum monsters.

Sora pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Furnimal Crane! When a "Furnimal" monster I control is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can add it back to my hand and draw 1 card!" Thanks to his trap, Sora added Furnimal Lion back to his hand and then drew a card from his deck.

Yuya looked at Sora, wondering what his plan was, "I end my turn."

Sora placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn! I draw!" Sora looked at the card he drew and smiled, "Drawing this card means my deck wants me to get serious."

Yuya narrowed his eyes after what Sora said, " _I had a feeling he wasn't serious yet."_ He doesn't know why but most of the time Yuya could tell when someone is holding back and this would be one of those times. Now, Yuya wondered how good Sora really is.

Sora smiled at him, "Now watch closely, teacher." Sora grabbed a card, "I activate the Magic Card: Suture Rebirth which allows me to Special Summon Furnimal Bear ( **ATK: 1200** ) back from the graveyard with its effects negated." Furnimal Bear returned to the field thanks to Sora's magic card.

Sora pointed at Toy Vendor, "I activate Toy Vendor's effect by sending a card from my hand to the graveyard. I then draw a card and it's a Level 4 or below monster, I get to Special Summon it." Sora discarded Instant Fusion which made a coin appear and then get inserted into the machine.

Sora smiled excitedly, "What will come out, what will it be?" Sora drew his card and looked at it while smirking, "I drew the Level 3 Edge Imp Scissors ( **ATK: 1200** , DEF: 800, LV: 3) so I now Special Summon it!" The machine released a capsule which in turn released a monster on the field that resembled a demonic form of a bunch of scissors attached together with eyes in the holes of the shape.

Sora then held up the card he had drawn and showed it to Yuya, it had the image of a vortex that sucked up two monsters, "And now I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization from my hand!"

Yuya's eyes widened a little in surprise, "Polymerization? _That means he's a Fusion user._ "

Ruri's eyes widened a lot as she had a horrified expression on her face as she heard the name of the card.

Sora looked at Yuya with a smile, "The monsters I will fuse are Edge Imp Scissors and Furnimal Bear!"

Both monsters got sucked into a vortex as Sora began chanting, "Claws of the demon and fangs of the beast! Become one and reveal to us your true form! Fusion Summon!"

Futoshi was confused by what was happening, "H-hey what is this?"

Tatsuya looked at the action excitedly, "This is Fusion Summon. You combine two monsters together to summon a new one from the Extra Deck!"

A card appeared from Sora's extra deck and he grabbed it with a smile, "Come forth, horrifying beast that shreds all! Death-Toy Scissor Bear ( **ATK: 2200** , DEF: 1800, LV: 6)!" Furnimal Bear's arms bursted opened and metal arms appeared out of its body; the only thing connecting them to the body was scissor blades. Then it's stomach burst open as two scissor blade appeared out of it and now it took on a more demonic appearance as the bottom and top parts of the head were connected by thread with eyes inside the mouth.

Yuzu looked worried, "So that is what Fusion Summoning looks like, and this a Fusion monster." She was a bit troubled that a cute monster such a Furnimal Bear could turn into such a horrifying creature.

Futoshi smiled, "That's so awesome!"

Tatsuya agreed with an excited smile on his face, "I agree. This is the first time I have personally seen a Fusion Summon like this."

Ayu, however, didn't agree with the other two and hugged Yuzu, "Big Sis Yuzu, I'm getting really scared." Yuzu placed her arms around Ayu to try and cheer her up while she looked at Yuya worried, " _Yuya, please be careful."_

Shuzo had his hand under his chin with a look of intriguement as he saw how Sora performed Fusion Summoning. Mikleo, however, still had a neutral expression on his face but was also intrigued as to how Sora is using Fusion Summoning.

Ruri was staring at the Fusion monster with a blank expression on her face with a mixture of horror, " _Fusion…"_ She clenched her fists as she was now reminded of the pain she felt back in her home. She could still remember the screams and despair of her home's citizens, " _Why are you doing this? Ahh! Please no! Ahh!"_ She also remembered the destruction _those_ monsters caused, " _I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization! Fusion Summon! Appear! Antique Gear Chaos Giant!"_

She was slowly breathing heavily and started shivering a little bit as she remembered the painful memories. Seeing someone Fusion Summon really brought out the pain hidden in her heart and it was causing her to stress.

Yuzu then turned to Ruri after hearing some silent heavy breathing from her and saw her clenching her fists. She then immediately became concerned for her as Ruri was stressed out for some reason. Yuzu put her hand on Ruri's shoulder, who jumped a little in surprise. Ruri turned towards Yuzu who looked really worried for her, "Ruri, are you okay?" Yuzu was confused as to why Ruri was acting this way.

Hearing Yuzu being concerned for her caused her to a have a look of realization; she then breathe in and out and regained her composure. Ruri had her hand to her heart as she had a small smile, "Yes, I'm okay."

Yuzu narrowed her eyes as she wasn't really convinced. Ruri seemed too stressed out and then magically turn out fine. Yuzu then gave Ruri a look that told her she wasn't buying it and Ruri frowned sadly at that response. She then whispered, " _I'll tell you later."_ Yuzu was a little annoyed that Ruri wanted to discuss it later but then understood as there was a duel going on. Yuzu then turned her attention back to the duel. The others didn't hear them as they were too focussed on the duel except for Mikleo who didn't say anything in response.

Ruri then around and then silently sighed after regaining her composure. She had to be careful of how she acts in front of others especially considering to hiding her pain. She immediately knew that she didn't do a good job at that and silently scolded herself.

Ruri looked at the ground with her eyes lowered a little and her hand still at her heart, " _I can't tell them about my pain. It would only put them in danger. I don't want them to risk their lives for me, especially Yuya and Yuzu."_ Everyone in You Show are kind people and she doesn't them to be harmed. Especially, considering she recently got close Yuya and Yuzu even though it was only a few short days. It reminded her somewhat of Yuto and her brother. How she feels for Yuya and Yuzu is somewhat similar to Yuto and Shun.

WIth deciding her resolve to protect them, she then focussed back on the duel especially on Sora. The fact that he was wearing their uniform and was able to Fusion Summoning, there wasn't any doubt in Ruri's mind: he is one of _them_.

Ruri then looked at Yuya with concern as she was worried about what Sora might do to him, " _Yuya, please be safe."_

Meanwhile, the duel was still going on as Sora got a confident smile on his face, "Now teacher, it's time for me to show you how I am when I get serious."

Yuya, who had recovered from his recent surprise, then got a determined look on his face along with a smirk, " _So he knows how to Fusion Summon. I never guessed it. I wonder where he learned how to do it. Well, regardless I won't back down."_ Yuya know alot about Fusion Summoning thanks to his brother which made the duel more interesting. Yuya then looked at Scissor Bear, " _I just have to be careful of whatever hidden abilities this monster has."_

Shuzo looked at the fusion monster with narrowed eyes, "Fusion Summoning, by using the Magic Card: Polymerization, you can combine two or more monster to summon a new one from the extra deck. It's quite a powerful technique, however I heard that they recently started teaching it at LDS. Could that kid really be a part of LDS?"

Yuzu looked at him feeling really confused now, "But he told us that he was planning on entering but decided not to…" Yuzu worried at Yuya worriedly as she silently hoped that he would win the duel.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes as he thought the whole situation seemed a little odd with Ruri freaking out and Sora learning how to Fusion Summon with unknown origins. He wasn't sure what to think about but decided to continue watching the duel.

Ruri, however, frowned a little in sadness as she knows the real reason as to where Sora learned where to fusion summon by couldn't say anything.

Sora smiled at Yuya, "Battle, teacher!" Yuya narrowed his eyes as Sora began his Battle Phase. Sora pointed at Scissor Bear, "Death-Toy Scissor Bear attack Entermate Secondonkey!" Scissor Bear flung its right arm toward Secondonkey which also hit Yuya who was behind Secondonkey. The attack was so fast that Yuya didn't have time to react. It sent both of them flying into the juice pond.

Yuzu, Ruri, and the others all looked worried as they saw Yuya getting hurt; Yuzu and Ruri both yelled, "Yuya!" However, they were relieved when he emerged from the pond looking unharmed with Yuzu and Ruri both sighing in relief.

 **YUYA LP: 4000** → **2800**

Yuya got out of the pond and stood up as he saw that Scissor Bear was standing in front of him. Sora smiled, "I activate Scissor Bear's monster effect! Scissor Bear can equip the monster it destroyed to itself."

Yuya's eyes widened a little, "What?" He then watched as Scissor Bear lunged its arm into the pond and fished out Secondonkey, who was looking dazed. Yuya looked at his monster worriedly, "Secondonkey!" Yuya then turned his attention to Sora with while gritted his teeth a little.

Sora was smiling as he continued, "I equip the destroyed Secondonkey onto Scissor Bear!" Then to everyone's shock and horror, Scissor Bear swallowed Secondonkey. Sora kept smiling as he raised his fist, "And now Scissor Bear gains attack points equal to the monster it destroyed!" Scissor Bear grew larger as it gained more power.

 **Death-Toy Scissor Bear** ( **ATK: 2200→3200** )

Shuzo looked really troubled, "Woah, it got bigger!"

Yuzu looked worried, "And to make matters worse, it has 3200 ATK!"

Tatsuya looked worried as well, "Now Scissor Bear's ATK are greater than Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's!"

Futoshi was also worried for Yuya, "So if it attacks Odd-Eyes next, it will get destroyed?"

Shuzo looked at Scissor Bear while he narrowed his eyes, feeling a little impressed by the monster's power, "It's a monster that gains strength as it destroys other monsters. Death-Toy Scissor Bear...what a terrifying card!"

Sora was smiling at Yuya while also feeling a little confused, "What's wrong, teacher? Where's your confidence from earlier?" Sora thought, " _Is this really all he can do?_ " Nobody could see Yuya's expression as his head was covered by his bangs.

Sora grabbed a card in his hand, "I set a card and end my turn." He was now wondering why Yuya wasn't moving.

After a few seconds, to Sora's surprise, Yuya raised his head which showed a satisfied smirk on his face as he said, "Not a chance. Anybody can try to push me all they want but I'll always keep bouncing back." Since Sora has shown that he can Fusion Summon, this duel got a lot more interesting which honestly excited Yuya even more. Now he has the chance to counterattack.

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn! Draw!" Yuya pointed at Shard of Greed, "Shard of Greed gains another Greed Counter!"

 **Shard of Greed** ( **GC: 1→2** )

"I now activate Shard of Greed's effect! By sending this card to the graveyard with 2 or more Greed Counters, I draw 2 cards!" Yuya drew 2 cards as Shard of Greed vanished and was sent to the graveyard.

Yuya then looked at his current hand as he thought about the situation, " _Scissor Bear is indeed powerful especially since it can equip multiple monsters as it gets stronger."_

He wondered what he could do but then remembered what Sora said, " _Scissor Bear can equip the monster it destroyed onto itself."_ He then had a look like he had a theory, " _I wonder...that works on a monster going to the graveyard."_ He looked at one of the cards he had which is a Pendulum monster, " _Would that effect work on a monster going to the Extra Deck?"_ Yuya wasn't sure as Sora didn't say that it had to be in the graveyard for the effect to activate. He then got a determined expression on his face, " _Well, I don't have many options so it's worth a shot!"_

Yuya grabbed a card in his hand, "I release Entermate Security Jackal in order to Tribute Summon Odd-Eyes Swordsman ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1200, LV: 5, PS: 3)!" Security Jackal vanished and it was replaced with a monster that was a swordsman with black hair in red clothing. wielding double swords and had dichromatic eyes as well.

Sora narrowed his eyes a little as he wondered what Yuya was up to since he didn't Pendulum Summon this time.

Yuya grabbed another card and placed in his duel disk, "From my hand, I activate the Equip Magic: Mage Power! I equip it onto Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya pointed at Odd-Eyes, "Odd-Eyes now gains 500 attack points for every magic and trap card I control. Since I control two pendulum monsters in the pendulum zones and this card itself, Odd-Eyes gains 1500 attack points!" Odd-Eyes had a fiery aura around it as it grew stronger.

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 2500→4000** )

Sora looked at the dragon surprised, "4000 attack points?!"

Yuya smiled at Scissor Bear, thinking he could end this right now, " _With Odd-Eyes's effect, I can end this right now."_

With resolve, Yuya pointed at Scissor Bear, "And now, I…"

However, he was interrupted as Sora pushed a button with a smile on his face, "Before you do anything teacher, I activate the Trap Card: Threatening Roar! You now can't attack on this turn." Sora basically negated Yuya's ability to attack this turn by activating his trap.

Yuya's eyes widened a little as he now can't attack, "What?"

Tatsuya looked troubled, "This is bad, now Big Bro Yuya can't do anything else."

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he was now out of options for this turn. He grabbed a card and placed in his duel disk, "I set one card and end my turn."

Sora looked at Yuya, "Huh? You're getting defensive now, teacher? Don't tell me you're out of options? If that's true, then I'm disappointed since I thought I could have a more interesting duel with you than this."

Yuya looked at Sora while smiling, "If that's what you think, then bring it."

Yuzu looked at Yuya worried, " _Yuya."_ She had one of her hands on her chest. She really thought Yuya had Sora for a second until Sora sealed his attack that turn.

Ruri was worried for Yuya as she wondered what his plan was. She looked at Yuya's current field: only saw two monsters and a face down. Either the face down was Yuya's plan or maybe something else. After a few seconds, she had a look of realization as she remembered something Yuya said during their duel, " _Pendulum Monsters that are destroyed go to the Extra Deck so I can revive them back."_ Ruri then got a little curious and thought, " _Maybe Yuya isn't in as much danger as we thought."_

Sora didn't think much of Yuya's smile as he started his turn, "My turn! Draw!"

Sora then pointed at Toy Vendor, "I activate the effect of Toy Vendor. I send a card to my graveyard in order to draw one from my deck." Sora discards Furnimal Lion and drew a card. He then revealed it, "I drew the Level 3 Edge Imp Saw ( **ATK: 500** , DEF: 1000, LV: 3) so I Special Summon it!" A capsule popped out a monster that resembled a demonic metal saw that had red eyes in the middle of it.

"I activate the Magic Card: Suture Draw! Since I control Scissor Bear which is a Fusion Monster, I draw 3 cards!"

Sora looked at the cards he drew and smiled, "Looks like I will be able to end it on this turn, teacher." Yuya narrowed his eyes, wondering what Sora was about to do.

"I activate the Magic Card: Mystical Space Typhoon! It destroys your Mage Power!" A tornado appeared and destroyed Yuya's card.

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 4000→2500** )

Tatsuya looked worried, "Now Odd-Eyes is weaker than Scissor Bear!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes at the move but didn't say anything as Sora continued his turn.

Sora looked at Yuya, "I activate the Magic Card: Fusion Recovery. I can now add 1 "Polymerization" and Furnimal Bear, that was used as Fusion Material, back to my hand." Sora added 2 cards back to his hands thanks to his magic card.

Sora grabbed one of the cards he added, "I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization!"

Yuya looked at Sora, " _He's going to Fusion Summon again?"_

Sora looked at Yuya with a smile, "The monsters I will fuse are Edge Imp Saw on my field and Furnimal Bear in my hand!"

"Steel blades possessed by demons. Become one with the fanged beast, and show us a new form and power! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! King of the hundred beasts that tears everything to pieces! Death-Toy Wheel Saw Lion ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7)!" A monster appeared that looked similar to Furnimal Lion except it most of its body was gray and it had saw blades cutting its head and lower body; it also had sharper claws.

Futoshi was amazed, "He Fusion Summoned again!"

Ruri narrowed her eyes with a sad frown on her face as she saw Fusion Summoning again.

Sora smiled, "I activate Wheel Saw Lion's monster effect! Once per turn, it can destroy one monster my opponent controls and deal damage equal to its original attack points! I select your Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Wheel Saw Lion had its blades spinning before launching them towards Odd-Eyes.

Yuya pointed at Odd-Eyes, "I activate Barrier Magician's effect in my graveyard. By banishing this card, Odd-Eyes isn't destroyed." A silhouette of Barrier Magician appeared on the field momentarily before a red barrier formed around Odd-Eyes, protecting him from the blades.

Sora narrowed his eyes a little before smiling, "Oh well, guess I have finish it this way." Sora grabbed a card from his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Toy Parade and target Death-Toy Scissor Bear. This turn, Scissor Bear can attack as many times as the number of cards equipped onto it."

Yuya's eyes widened a little, "What?"

Shuzo looking worried, "This is bad, really bad!"

Futoshi was confused, "Bad? The only card equipped to Scissor Bear is Secondonkey so it can only attack once, isn't that the same as usual?"

Tatsuya realized, "I get it! That's not it!"

Yuya looked at Scissor Bear, "When Scissor Bear destroys a monster and equips it, by utilizing Toy Parade's effect it's able to make a second attack."

Sora smiled at Yuya, "As I expected teacher, you figured it out!"

Futoshi then had a look of realization, "Oh, now I get it! Scissor Bear destroys a monster then if it equips that monster it can attack again!"

Sora smiled, "With a direct attack, I win!"

Shuzo had an impressed look on his face, "Is this the power of Fusion Monsters?"

Ayu looked at Yuzu worried, "Is Big Bro Yuya going to lose Big Sis Yuzu?"

Yuzu smiled at Ayu, "Don't worry, this is Yuya after all, he won't give up just from this." Even so, she couldn't help but feel worried for him.

Ruri was concerned for Yuya as well but not as much as the others since she noticed that Yuya has been very calm about the situation, meaning he must have a plan. Mikleo noticed it as well and had a small smile on his face.

Sora put his hand out, "Battle! Death-Toy Wheel Saw Lion attack Odd-Eyes Swordsman!" Wheel Saw Lion launched its blades at Odd-Eyes Swordsman and destroyed it.

 **YUYA LP: 2800** → **2400**

Yuya had his head covered with his bangs again not showing any emotion as his monster was destroyed.

Sora, however, didn't notice and smiled, "And now Death-Toy Scissor Bear attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Scissor Bear hurled its right arm toward Odd-Eyes and connected knocking it into the juice pond.

 **YUYA LP: 2400** → **1700**

"Yuya!" Yuzu was now a little more worried for him since Odd-Eyes was destroyed and she noticed that he hasn't moved in a minute. She wondered what was wrong.

Sora saw that Yuya wasn't moving but still smiling, "I think teacher is in a sad mood so I'll just go ahead and equip Odd-Eyes onto Scissor Bear." Scissor Bear launched its arm again into the pond, looking for Odd-Eyes which put a smile on Yuya's face. However, as it moved its arm back and forth, it couldn't find Odd-Eyes in the pond which confused the monster.

Sora was confused as well, "Huh? Why can't I find Odd-Eyes?"

Yuya raised his head which showed a smirk on his face, "That ability only works on destroyed monsters going to the graveyard."

Sora tilted his head in confusion, "Huh?"

Yuya smiled as he showed an image on his duel disk, "Odd-Eyes is inside my Extra Deck!" The image showed that Odd-Eyes was indeed in the Extra Deck face up.

Everyone watching was shocked except for Ruri who smiled knowing that hidden ability already in their duel, "What?!" Yuzu shouted, "When did it move there?!"

Sora then had a look of shock on his face, "Huh? What?! Inside the Extra Deck?!" Sora then started laughing which had Yuya raise an eyebrow. Sora had a look of excitement on his face, "This is awesome, really awesome teacher! Destroyed Pendulum Monsters go to the Extra Deck instead of the graveyard!"

Sora raised his fist as he continued, "This is the first time I've heard of this! Pendulum Monsters really are the best! If it's not in the Graveyard, then Scissor Bear can't equip it! So then my attack ends here, and so does my turn!"

Sora smiled at Yuya, "Teacher. I'm looking forward to the next turn!"

Yuya smiled back at him, "Yeah. I'll show you my turn!"

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn! Draw!" Yuya looked at the card he had drawn and had a look of surprise on his face, " _This card…"_

Yuya pointed at his magician, "And now with set Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Dragonpulse Magician and Scale 8 Dragonpit Magician, I can now summon multiple monsters from levels two to seven!"

The portal appeared along the giant pendulum as Yuya chanted, "Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" The portal opened as Yuya held up a card, "First is the Level 2 Entermate Cheermole ( **ATK: 600** , DEF: 1000, LV: 2, PS: 5) from my hand!" A pink female mole in a cheerleading outfit with pom-poms appeared on the field. Two cards appeared from out of Yuya's duel disk before he grabbed them, "And from the Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** ) and Odd-Eyes Swordsman ( **ATK: 2000** )!" Both monsters appeared out the portal.

Sora looked really excited and happy that Yuya was able to bring back Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

Tatsuya got an excited look as well, "You can summon Pendulum Monsters from the Extra Deck!"

Futoshi was smiling, "I'm getting the shivers!"

Shuzo had an impressed smile on his face, "When destroyed, they get sent to the Extra Deck allowing you to bring them back as many times as you want!" Shuzo got excited, "This is the Pendulum Monster's other power! That's amazing, Yuya! Your Pendulum Monsters are burning hot!"

Yuya smiled, "I'm just getting started. I activate Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's new monster effect!" Odd-Eyes had its orbs glowing as it roared.

Yuzu looked a little confused, "New effect?" Did Odd-Eyes have another hidden effect?

Yuya pointed at Odd-Eyes, "When Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon is Special Summoned face up from the Extra Deck, all Special Summoned monsters my opponent controls lose 100 ATK x the difference between my current pendulum scales!" Yuya pointed at his magicians, "Dragonpulse is 1 and Dragonpit is 8, so the difference is 7. So now your monsters lose 700 ATK! Scale Force!" The two magicians transferred their power to Odd-Eyes who unleashed it from its chest onto Sora's monsters, weakening them a little.

 **Death-Toy Scissors Bear** ( **ATK: 3200→2500** )  
 **Death-Toy Wheel Saw Lion** ( **ATK: 2400→1700** )

Yuzu looked happy and surprised to see the effect, "Not only can it deal double damage, but it can also make other monsters weaker!"

Tatsuya was excited, "Now Odd-Eyes has the ATK as Scissor Bear!"

Sora smiled, "That's awesome, teacher!" He knew he now lost this duel since Odd-Eyes can deal double damage.

Yuya held out his hand, "And now I activate Entermate Cheermole's monster effect!" Cheermole then started dancing and cheering which also made many colorful hearts appear from her as well.

The kids smiled at how cute that monster looked and Ayu smiled, "How cute!"

The hearts then started floating towards Wheel Saw Lion which leaves Sora confused as to what they were doing.

Yuya smiled, "I can activate Cheermole's effect when there's a monster whose current ATK is different from its original." Yuya pointed at Wheel Saw Lion, "Wheel Saw Lion's attack points are less than its original so it now loses 1000 ATK!"

 **Death-Toy Wheel Saw Lion** ( **ATK: 1700→700** )

Sora now looked a little unnerved, "Huh?"

Tatsuya smiled, "Wheel Saw Lion is now weaker!"

Futoshi hugged Tatsuya with a smile, "Here comes the shivers!"

Yuya smiled as he knew that he won this but then looked a card in his hand, trying to decide if he should use it or not. He had an unreadable expression before smiling, " _Oh why not. After all, I think it's time I finally start getting really serious in my duels."_

Yuya turned his attention to the audience watching, "Now everyone, I'll about to show you all something I haven't done in a long time!" The others were confused as to what Yuya meant by that except for Mikleo who smiled knowing what Yuya was about to do.

Yuya turned to Sora with a smile on his face, "Now Sora, since you used Fusion Summoning against me, how about I return the favor?"

Sora tilted his head in confusion, "Huh?" What did he mean by that?

Yuya held out his hand, "First, since I control an "Entermate" monster, I Special Summon Entermate Security Jackal ( **ATK: 1500** ) back from the graveyard!" Security Jackal was brought back to the field thanks to its effect.

Yuya grabbed a card and placed it in his duel disk, "I now activate the Magic Card: Polymerization!" A card appeared near Yuya; it was the exact same card that Sora used earlier.

Sora was now shocked after what he heard, "What?!"

Everyone else was shocked as well except for Mikleo who just kept smiling. Yuzu was almost speechless, "Polymerization?!" Did that mean Yuya knows how to…

Ruri was shocked as well as Yuya never said anything about learning how to Fusion Summon during their duel.

Yuya smiled, "The monsters I am fusing are Odd-Eyes Swordsman and Entermate Security Jackal!" Both monster then disappeared into the colorful vortex.

"Sword wielder with dual-colored eyes, become one with the entertaining watcher in order to gain new power! Fusion Summon! Appear! Entermate Odd-Eyes Blaster Raccoon ( **ATK: 2200** , DEF: 1600, LV: 6)!" Yuya summoned a monster that resembled a raccoon having goggles over its neck, having dichromatic eyes, wearing face paint over its eyes, wearing an army outfit and helmet, had a jetpack, and it was also carrying a large launcher.

Tatsuya was shocked and then excited, "Big Bro Yuya knows how to Fusion Summon!"

Ayu looked amazed at the monster summoned, "That's a cool monster."

Futoshi was dancing around, "I'm getting even more shivers!"

Yuzu and Shuzo were shocked as they have never seen Yuya Fusion Summon before and how did he learn it. Yuzu said, "Where did Yuya learn how to Fusion Summon?" Everyone else was pondering that question as well.

However, Mikleo answered that question with a smile, "I taught him how to." Everyone then turned towards him surprised at that answer. Shuzo shouted, "Mikleo, you taught him?! Does that mean you know how to Fusion Summon?!" Shuzo almost couldn't believe it as Mikleo had never mentioned this to him and the others.

Mikleo nodded with a smile, "Yeah."

Yuzu then looked back and forth between Yuya, Mikleo and the Fusion Monster in amazement. She had heard that Mikleo trained Yuya whenever You Show was empty but she wasn't sure what he taught him. Seeing Yuya Fusion Summon made her wonder, " _Could this be part of what Mikleo trained him for?"_

Shuzo was then a little upset as he didn't say anything about this, "Why didn't you say anything about this before?" Everyone looked at Mikleo, waiting for his answer.

Mikleo just shrugged his shoulders and said, "You never asked." That answer made everyone drop to the floor in regards to that response, hearing how that answer was both simple and ridiculous at the same time.

Ruri then got up looked at the Fusion Monster in confusion. She knew that Yuya was a nice person but seeing him Fusion Summon did bother her a little bit. It wasn't that she hated Fusion Summoning, it is just that it reminded her of the pain she felt before. However, seeing Yuya using it, for some reason, didn't bother her that much as there wasn't any malicious intent from him when summoning that monster and it wasn't vicious as the ones in her home. Now she was curious as to how Yuya will use it.

Sora was amazed that Yuya pulled off that move, "Teacher, you know how to Fusion Summon?!"

Yuya smiled, "That's right and a lot of other surprises as well."

Sora smiled as he raised his fist, "That's awesome! First you have Pendulum Summoning and now you also have Fusion Summoning as well!" Inside his mind he was thinking, " _He is better than I thought. I just wonder how much though…"_

Yuya looked at Sora, "Now technically, I didn't have to summon this monster but I figured why not since you did Fusion Summon as well." Sora narrowed his eyes silently wondering what exactly he meant by that.

Yuya pointed at his monster, "I activate Entermate Odd-Eyes Blaster Raccoon's monster effect! Once per turn, I can destroy a card on the field!" Raccoon then loaded a rocket into his launcher, ready to launch it.

Sora looked unnerved, "Then that means…"

Yuya nodded, "That's right. I destroy your Death-Toy Scissor Bear!" Raccoon launched the rocket which sent Scissor Bear flying into the air and then exploded. The explosion turned into fireworks as they illuminated the area.

Ayu watched in awe, "Pretty!" Ruri was in awe and amazement as well as this was the first time she has seen a Fusion Monster create something this pretty.

Yuya looked at Sora, "And since the card I chose was a monster, Raccoon inflicts 600 points of damage to my opponent." One of the fireworks then went straight and exploded near Sora.

 **SORA LP: 1400→800**

Yuya pointed at Sora, "Now then, battle! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack Death-Toy Wheel Saw Lion! Spiral Strike Burst!" Odd-Eyes spun around before launching its fiery blast towards Wheel Saw Lion and destroying it. The shockwaves of the attack sent Sora flying into a cream cake.

 **SORA LP: 800→0**

 **YUYA: WIN  
** **SORA: LOSE**

"Big Bro Yuya!" Yuya then turned and saw the kids running toward him with smiles on their faces. Futoshi held up his hands excited, "You did it, Big Bro Yuya!" Ayu smiled, "That was wonderful!" Tatsuya agreed with them, "Yeah, especially since you know how to Fusion Summon!"

Yuya chuckled a little at their excitement before turning his attention to Sora. Yuya walked over to him who was sitting with half of his face covered by his hair. Yuya looked at him with a smile, "Hey don't be sad that you lost, after all we both had fun in our duel. But you do remember our promise right, that you can't be my apprentice…"

However, he soon got quiet as he heard Sora laughing. Sora got up and looked at Yuya with a smile, "Dueling with you was really, really cool Yuya!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes, a little confused, "Huh? Why are you suddenly using my first name?"

Sora looked at Yuya, "I can't be your apprentice right? Then I'll just be your friend!"

Yuya looked a little irritated, "Huh? Don't just…"

He was interrupted as Shuzo came over with a smile, "Oh I see, you're friends now! Students of You Show are all equals!" Shuzo then turned to Sora with more excitement, "So how about it, will you be joining our Duel School?"

Sora nodded with an excited smile, "Yeah! This place is way more interesting than LDS anyways!"

Shuzo raised his fist and yelled out, "Alright! Then I'll go get the paperwork!" Shuzo then ran to go get the paperwork for an application.

Yuya looked at Sora curiously, "Where did you learn how to Fusion Summon?"

Sora smiled at Yuya, "Oh, Fusion? Where I lived Fusion Summoning is normal!"

Yuya's eyes widened a little, "It's normal? Where is that? Overseas?"

Sora looked at Yuya, "Oh, don't worry about the details. We're friends after all." Both Yuya and Mikleo noticed that Sora purposely dodged the question but didn't say anything. Ruri narrowed her eyes a little as she knew that Sora wouldn't answer right.

Yuya sweatdropped at Sora's response, "What kind of reasoning is that? Besides, I don't remember saying you were my…"

Sora placed his hand on his shoulder, "Nice to meet you, Yuya."

Yuya then sighed as he now gave up, "Nice to meet you too."

Everyone else was laughing at the situation except for Ruri who had a troubled smile on her face as she watched Sora getting along with Yuya and the others.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HIRAGI RESIDENCE**

Yuzu and Ruri were sitting on the couch after eating dinner. Yuzu wanted to ask Ruri what happened to her before she dragged her into the living room.

Yuzu looked at Ruri concerned, "Ruri, what happened back there?"

Ruri looked troubled as she didn't know what to answer without telling the truth. After a few seconds, she came up something with a sweet smile, "Oh, it's just seeing Sora Fusion Summon reminded me of someone who used to bully me before. That's it. I was just having a bad memory."

Yuzu looked at Ruri confused and more concerned as something about her reasoning didn't make sense. Ruri seemed too stressed out just for the memory of one bully so Yuzu was suspicious of the story. Yuzu then wondered, "DId this person use Fusion Summoning a lot?"

Ruri nodded, "Oh yeah. A lot actually which is why sometimes I freak out whenever I see Fusion Summoning. It's no big deal." Ruri tried to maintain a sweet smile as she was getting more depressed that she kept lying to Yuzu.

Yuzu still wasn't convinced but could see that Ruri wasn't going to say anything about it. She then got up and looked at Ruri, "Alright, if you say so." She turned around and began walking towards her room but not before stopping and saying, "Ruri, we're your friends are we? We need to be there for each other when we need it." Ruri got a sad frown on her face after hearing that. Yuzu then left the room, leaving Ruri alone in the living room.

Ruri then got more depressed, " _I'm sorry, Yuzu. But I can't put you and Yuya in danger. It would crush me that you all would get dragged into this because of me."_ Ruri really hated lying to people but if she wanted to protect them, she has no choice.

Ruri then started thinking about Sora, " _Sora is obviously a member of Academia. He's quickly getting along with Yuya and the others. I don't think he knows about me so I'm in the clear for now. But when he does find out, what do I do?"_ Ruri had no intention of hurting Sora; sure she secretly hates Academia for what they done to her home, but she's not willing to hurt them back like her brother. If Sora does find out about her, Yuya, Yuzu and the others will get suspicious and possibly get dragged into this war and she doesn't want that.

For now, she decided to do nothing and wait and see what happens as there is nothing she could do right now.

* * *

 **Wow...just wow. I think this is officially the longest chapter I've ever written and I know there's more where that came from in the future. So look forward to that.**

 **So I hope you all like the changes I made to the duel especially towards the end. And surprise! Yuya knows how to Fusion Summon! When I said in the first chapter that Yuya might be different, I wasn't just talking about his personality; I also meant his dueling as well and how he was taught. So here you go. If you want to know how strong I made Yuya, then ask in a review and I'll respond in the next chapter.**

 **By the way, if yall want, you can speculate what exactly Mystic (Yuya's other dragon) is and if somebody gets really close, then I will reveal what exactly this dragon is in the next chapter (although it might already be obvious depending on how you read it).**

 **I know that there are some people that are going to question me for this so I'll address it now. Yes, I did use some of the English names for some of the cards instead of the Japanese ones. I said before that I don't have a problem with whatever names I use being English or Japanese. It just depends on whichever name I like. For example, for some reason, I prefer Polymerization over just the simple name of Fusion.**

 **One more thing, I gave Odd-Eyes an extra ability because I feel like him and Dark Rebellion kind of gotten like the short end of the stick when it came to abilities. Yes, Odd-Eyes has double damage but strangely he's the only one that doesn't have an effect of changing attack points and that's a little strange to me at least. I gave Dark Rebellion some extra effects as well so you'll see what they are when I introduce it and Yuto.**

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Entermate Security Jackal  
** (LV: 3, Beast, DARK, Tuner, ATK: 1500, DEF: 600)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When you control a "Entermate", "Odd-Eyes", or "Magician" monster on the field: You can Special Summon this card from your hand or GY. When this card is summoned from the GY using this effect: Banish it when it leaves the field. When this card is attacked, you change the attacking monster into Defense Position. You can only activate each effect of "Entermate Security Jackal" once per turn.

 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman  
** (LV: 5, Warrior, DARK, ATK: 2000, DEF: 1200, PS: 3)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, you can activate this effect: All "Odd-Eyes" and "Magician" monsters you currently control gain 800 ATK until the End Phase.  
 _Monster Effect:_ This card can attack twice each battle phase. Once per turn, when this card destroys a monster by battle: It gains 500 ATK until the End Phase.

 **Suture Draw** (Magic Card): Activate only if you control a "Death-Toy" Fusion monster. Draw 3 cards.

 **Entermate Odd-Eyes Blaster Raccoon  
** (LV: 6, Beast-Warrior, DARK, Fusion, ATK: 2200, DEF: 1600)  
 _(1 "Entermate" Monster + 1 "Odd-Eyes" Monster)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ During your Main Phase, except during the turn this card was sent to the GY: You can Banish this card from your GY and then target 1 "Entermate" or "Odd-Eyes" Monster you control; until the End Phase, if that monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle: inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. You can destroy 1 card on the field and depending on the type of card destroyed, the following effect activates:  
• Monster: Inflict 600 damage to your opponent.  
• Magic/Trap: Gain 400 LP.  
You can only use each effect of "Entermate Odd-Eyes Blaster Raccoon" once per turn.

 **Some OCG & Anime effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **Change to Real Cards:**

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** _(added to monster effect)  
_ (LV: 7, Dragon, DARK, ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, PS: 4)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card battles an opponent's monster: Any battle damage this card inflicts to your opponent is doubled. If this card is Special Summoned from the Extra Deck face-up: All Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls lose 100 ATK x the difference between your current Pendulum Scales until the End Phase.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Windwitch Rider, Rin Appears!**

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	6. Windwitch Rider, Rin Appears!

**So yea, I decided to bring in Rin early in the story as well mainly because I feel the same way with her as with Ruri. She only appeared in nearly the end and I think that's a waste really. Not really much to be said. (Sorry for the delay; it was the holidays so I needed to some time off. By the way, hope my readers had a recently good Christmas.) Here's some of my responses to recent reviews:**

 **Frost190 - Did Yuya connect to Yuto's mind? Maybe :) If you read a little closely there is a little detail that does sort of explain how Yuya got the dream. Otherwise, I can't share the exact details yet but thanks for the comments.**

 **Windchaosdemon & ThePLOTHand - Yes, it is a Ritual Monster. But that's all I'll say for now.**

 **Neostardustdragon101 - Honestly, not sure yet.**

 **Thetiger39 - Well...I can't really promise anything. If you read the first chapter, I did say that Yuya would still be the main protagonist of this story. I am not saying that I don't like strong female characters in fact I'm a big advocate of supporting them. It's just that I like Yuya more than Yuzu, sorry to say. Anyway, I will say that Yuzu will get stronger as the story progresses. So they probably will get an upgrade in the future :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 - Windwitch Rider, Rin Appears!**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - PIER**

It was a sunny day outside at Maiami City's pier as there were crates all around the area that were planned to be shipped off to other areas. There was no one around as they were currently either busy or on break. For a moment there was silence, but then a few seconds later a flash of light appeared in the middle of the pier. The light was so bright that it illuminated the entire area for a few seconds and then soon after, it dimmed out.

When the light vanished, a girl, who was on what appeared to be a motorcycle, appeared in the middle of the pier. The girl was wearing a blue and white jacket with pink pads on the shoulders and elbows, pink shorts, white and pink boots that reach up to her thighs with pink knee pads. She was also wearing a pink and white helmet with a visor covering her eyes.

Meanwhile, the motorcycle she was on had a pink frame, medium-sized tires and it also had a foot rest nearby the pedals as well.

The girl looked around the area before pressing a button on her helmet which raised the visor from her eyes. It revealed her orange eyes while also narrowing her eyebrows, looking confused.

"Where am I? This looks nowhere near New Domino City or Satellite." The girl whose name was Rin was very confused as to how she got here and where she was as she is sure she has never been here before. Her and Yugo used to drive around the city a lot so she knows the areas pretty well. She doesn't think it's Satellite either because she saw other buildings around the area and they weren't nearly old or a little ruined.

She looked at her bracelet while it shined for a moment before remencising what happened these past couple of days before she got here.

* * *

 _SYNCHRO DIMENSION - NEW DOMINO CITY - UNKNOWN LOCATION_

 _Flashback (Around a few days ago…)_

 _ **RIN LP: 1600**_ → _ **0**_

 _ **RIN: LOSE  
**_ _ **?: WIN**_

 _Rin was on her knees exhausted as she just lost the duel to this mysterious hooded duelist who apparently was after her for some reason. Rin was looked up and glared at the hooded duelist as he was approaching her. He gave off a eerie vibe as well as a somewhat sinister grin on his face as he walking towards her._

 _Rin was able to look at the face of the boy that just defeated her since the hood was now raised a little higher. He had violet hair with pink underneath, purple eyes and pink eyebrows. But there was another feature that shocked her the most._

 _Rin's eyes widened as she saw the person's face, "Y-Yugo?"_

 _This person had the same face as her childhood friend Yugo. She was in shock as she was literally staring at Yugo's face. She then thought that this couldn't be Yugo as wasn't sinister at all nor did he ever use this "Fusion Summoning" before which she has never heard of until now. She didn't know what to think as the hooded duelist was getting closer._

 _She was glaring at him while also feeling a terrified as she didn't know what he wanted with her. For the past couple of days, she felt that someone had been watching her from a distance for particular reason at all. She thought she was imagining it until now since he decided to show himself._

 _As the hooded duelist was only a few feet away from her, he decided to speak, "Now then, Rin. After waiting for so long, I can finally take you to the Professor."_

 _Rin narrowed her eyes after what he said and thought, "Professor?" Who is that? Is that person the reason as to why this guy was after her. Before she could think anymore, the hooded boy was finally within arm's reach and was about to grab her until both of them froze as they heard something. It was the sound of an engine running as well as a vehicle approaching near them. The hooded boy turned around to see who it was and Rin could now see what was behind him._

 _It was a duel runner along with another boy riding towards at high speed. Once he was finally close enough, he stopped his runner with the lights on as he got off of it and approached the both of them. This boy had the same face as the hooded duelist but Rin knew that runner and the duelist riding it, it was her childhood friend Yugo._

 _Yugo ran towards them with an exasperated and concerned look on his face, "Rin!" He was worried for her and decided to go look for her; to him, what he found was someone attacking Rin and that infuriated him._

 _Rin was relieved that Yugo was here but couldn't speak as she was honestly recovering a little bit from her recent duel. She instead gave a relieved smile as she saw Yugo running towards._

 _The hooded duelist then had a frown on his face as he gave off a sigh since he saw that someone was interfering in his mission._

 _Yugo stopped as he saw the face of the hooded boy and had a look of shock on his face, "What?! He has the same face as me?!" Yugo was in shock that there was someone that had his exact face and didn't know what to think._

 _Meanwhile, the hooded boy showed no indifference as to seeing Yugo as he still had a frown on his face but on the inside he was curious and confused as to how this guy had the same face as him. He put that thought aside quickly as he had more important matters to deal with._

 _He then gave off a smile as he pulled out his duel disk and a card from his deck. He smiled at Yugo, "I don't have time to deal with you. I have more important matters to attend." He was getting ready to activate his magic card which would blind Yugo momentarily and allow him to take Rin back to the Professor. Yugo, however, was still irritated that this guy intentionally hurt his friend and determined to deal some payback to him, clueless as to what he was about to do._

 _However, before either boy could do anything, Rin's bracelet starting blinking for a few seconds before flashing, illuminating the entire area and blinding everyone in that light. Rin didn't know what was happening as she was temporarily blinded at the moment. Meanwhile, in the light, the two boys were glowing before turning into particles and vanishing._

 _Once the light dimmed out, Rin opened her eyes and to her surprise, the hooded duelist, Yugo and his duel runner weren't around anymore. Rin was confused as to what just happened, "What? Where did they go?"_

 _Rin then started getting worried for Yugo, "Yugo? Yugo! Where are you?!" She then got up as she finally recovered enough stamina to move again and started frequently searching the area for her friend. She had questions right now for what just happened but she felt that it can wait until she finds him._

 _After a few minutes of searching, Rin noticed really wasn't around anymore and wondered where he could be. While still worried, she decided to head home and grab her duel runner to try and search for him._

* * *

 _NEW DOMINO CITY - ORPHANAGE_

 _When she got home, she started up her duel runner and drove it off all around the areas of New Domino City to see if Yugo was around any of these places. To her dismay, she wasn't able to find him anywhere and was more concerned than before._

 _After a couple of hours, she didn't know what to do except head home and see if Yugo did come back. After all, Yugo wouldn't really leave her and always came back to be there for her, something she's always grateful even if she doesn't admit to him._

 _Once again, to her dismay, he did not but she was so tired from searching for him and dueling that hooded boy at the same time that she decided to sleep and then search again in the morning. She got dressed in her pajamas, went to bed and then fell asleep._

* * *

 _Rin woke up in the morning after a few hours of sleep; she then washed up and got dressed to get ready to search for Yugo again._

 _She got out of the building and was ready to put her helmet on before hearing an engine roaring in the distance. She turned and saw what it was, it was Yugo riding on his duel runner coming towards Rin and the orphanage. Rin was relieved and happy that Yugo was okay however..._

 _Yugo stopped his duel runner and saw Rin with a look of shock on his face. He then smiled cheekily; he then got off his runner and ran towards Rin. He was so happy that he was about to hug her, "Rin!"_

 _Before Yugo could hug her, Rin kneed him in the stomach making him have a look of pain on his face. He then fell on his knees as he was trying to recover from the blow._

 _Rin looked irritated as she kneed him, "You idiot! Do you know how worried I was?!" Behind Rin's tsundere attitude, she was happy on the inside to see Yugo unharmed, she just didn't show it._

 _Yugo had an apologetic look on his face as he got up and rubbed his stomach, "Heh, sorry Rin." He then hugged her, "I am just happy to see you're okay!"_

 _Rin frowned before returning the hug with a smile on her face. Rin asked as she continued hugging him, "Where were you, Yugo?"_

 _Yugo then released Rin and looked at her with a little bit of confusion on his face, "I don't know what happened. All of a sudden me and my runner just got sent off into a different universe."_

 _Rin narrowed her eyebrows, skeptical at his explanation, "Different universe? Yugo, did you hit your head or something?"_

 _Yugo waved his arms as he tried again, "No, I am telling you that I wasn't in New Domino City anymore."_

 _Yugo then proceeded to tell a Rin a story about how he ended up in a strange place with ruined buildings, people carding others, and how he actually found the bastard who tried to kidnap her but couldn't finish the duel as there were reinforcements. After that, his Clear Wing then supposedly transported him back here._

 _Rin crossed her arms as she was having a hard time believing Yugo's story. She then looked at Yugo with concern, "Yugo, I think you're just tired from riding your runner all day."_

 _Yugo looked hasty as he looked at Rin, "But I'm telling that it's true!"_

 _Rin narrowed her eyebrows and then sighed, "Yugo, I'm having a hard time believing people getting turned into cards or getting transported into another universe. There's no way that can happen." While Rin knew Yugo had a good heart, she honestly admits that he is sometimes a little slow when it comes to certain things but then again, that's one of his traits that she likes about him. She honestly wanted to believe him but that story seemed a little farfetched and unreal as there wasn't any explanation for that to really happen._

 _Yugo then looked a little upset and had a pleading expression on his face, "But Rin…"_

 _Rin placed her finger on his mouth in order to shut him up, "No, Yugo. I'm sorry but I can't believe your story. It just seems too unreal." She then pointed at the orphanage, "Now go wash up and get some rest, you really need it."_

 _Yugo was about to retort but the look on her face told him that she wasn't in the mood to argue so he sighed, "Okay." He then walked inside the orphanage with Rin following him behind._

* * *

 _(A couple days later, a day before the Present)_

 _For the past couple days, Yugo has been staying close to Rin more than ever just in case that hooded duelist decided to come back. While Rin appreciate what Yugo is doing for her, she is a little annoyed that Yugo is being overprotective, more so than usual which caused a lot of recent annoyances as well._

 _It was in the afternoon that Rin was in her room, thinking about what has happened these past couple of days. She couldn't help but who that was that attacked her and for what purpose? What was more confusing is that Fusion Summoning method the duelist used as well since neither she or Yugo have ever heard of it. And apparently, from Yugo's story, there was also some kind of "Xyz Summoning" as well which she didn't know what to think of that either as she still is having a hard time of believing that story to begin with._

 _Rin looked at her bracelet with wonder as she could have sworn that it was shining during that night; then right after that, both Yugo and that other boy disappeared as well._

" _Did my bracelet really do that?" Rin was thinking if that was true or not as she can't recall her bracelet doing something like that before. She wasn't sure anything as there was so many things happening at once. She decided to think about it later as she left the room to go see what Yugo was doing._

 _She found him in the garage, where they keep both of their duel runners, sleeping and leaning against his duel runner. A small bubble inflated and deflated as he breathed in and out, which made Rin smile softly at the scene._

 _Rin shook her head, "Oh, Yugo. What am I going to do with you?" She then decided to check on her duel runner and see if there was anything that needed to be repaired._

 _After around a couple hours, it was around nighttime, Yugo was still sleeping while Rin was double checking the engine to see if it was in top condition. Once she was done, she closed the hood and put away her tools. While she was putting them away, she could hear Yugo talking, "Don't...hurt her...you bastard!"_

 _Rin turned to see Yugo still sleeping and then thought, "Sleep talking?"_

 _He carried on with his sleep talk, "Rin's...not going anywhere with you…Don't you dare...take my best friend away!"_

 _Rin smiled sweetly after hearing him say that, feeling touched that Yugo treasured their friendship so much. She walked over to him and gave him a hug while he was still sleeping. She whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Yugo." Yugo smiled in his sleep after hearing that._

 _Rin then pulled away and went back to her runner. While Rin isn't usually affectionate around him, since he was asleep she took an exception._

 _When her mind turned again to the recent incident, she decided to clear her mind by riding her runner into the streets which usually calms her down. She put her helmet on, started the engine and drove it out of the garage with Yugo still sleeping._

* * *

 _NEW DOMINO CITY - STREETS_

 _Rin was driving throughout the night for around half an hour, still thinking about the incident. She then turned her thoughts about what Yugo said before, about where he was when he disappeared. Rin doesn't know if she still doesn't believe it but now that she had time to think, she just couldn't help but wonder if it was. If Yugo's story was true, then she wondered what was really going on especially with this supposed "carding people" incident as well. Once again, she's not sure what to think anymore._

 _However, before she could think about it more, she heard something, "Maybe I can help out…"_

 _Rin looked around, wondering whose voice was that and where it came from especially with her driving in the middle of the streets._

 _Then, out of nowhere, Rin's bracelet then started blinking along with producing a mysterious chime noise as well. Rin turned to her bracelet, surprised and wondering what it was doing. Then a few seconds later, her bracelet shined really brightly which illuminated a few blocks ahead. Rin only had time to gasp in shock as she glowed and disappeared from the streets along with her duel runner; no one was around when that happened._

 _Flashback End._

* * *

Rin was looking at her bracelet as she finally recalled everything that has happened these couple of days. She looked at her bracelet with confusion on her face, " _Why did my bracelet do that?"_

She then looked at her surroundings again, really curious as to where she ended up in. She thought that some of the buildings looked nicer and more hi-tech than her own city; that thought only made her conclude that it definitely wasn't New Domino City but then where is this place?

She thought how Yugo got transported by her bracelet and thought about his story as well, " _Now I am starting to believe him but these buildings aren't ruined."_ She wondered that maybe this wasn't the city that Yugo was talking about but that just put more questions in her head.

She was then worried about Yugo and how to get back home. She doesn't even where she at. Her bracelet apparently did this but she doesn't know how to make it do it again. Rin had a sad look on her face before getting irritated on hitting on the window of her runner, "Dammit, none of this makes any sense!"

Rin held her head with her hands as she got a little depressed that maybe she wouldn't be able to get home. Her thoughts then turned to Yugo, New Domino City, and her dream with Yugo about becoming Duel King or Queen for either one of them.

Rin then got a determined expression on her face, "Yugo wouldn't give up so I shouldn't either!" She then got resolve to try to figure out this whole situation.

She turned her attention towards the city in front of her, "Maybe I should first try to find out where I am exactly at before doing anything else." With settling with what she had to do, she started the engine and drove her duel runner into the streets.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - STREETS**

"Yuya, thanks for coming along with us." Yuzu was looking back with a smile at Yuya who was carrying bags for both Yuzu and Ruri after they were done shopping recently. Yuzu had invited both Ruri and Yuya go shopping with her and after they were done, Yuya offered to help carry their bags as well. Now all of three are heading back towards You Show.

Yuya smiled back at them, "No problem, glad I can help."

Ruri smiled at Yuzu, "Thanks for bringing me Yuzu. I love to see the sights of your city." Since Ruri was new to this city, Yuzu thought that she should bring Ruri along to show her around and also buy some stuff for as well. Ruri was thankful that both her and Yuya were doing this for her.

Ruri looked at Yuya, "How come you decided to come with us, Yuya? I do really appreciate you carrying those." Ruri didn't want to feel like she was taking advantage of Yuya by having him the only one carry their bags so she suggested she and Yuzu each take one bag to carry as well and Yuzu agreed. She was also curious as to why Yuya decided to come with them as they mostly went to girl stores.

Yuya sighed, "I needed something after what happened yesterday. Sora, for some reason, made me exhausted." Yuya honestly is starting to like Sora a little more even though he still can't forget the similarities between him and his recent dreams. Sora's way of reasoning and dueling honestly made Yuya confused, and then exhausted as he didn't really want to argue right now so he let it go for now. Thinking about all of that honestly made his head hurt a little since there's a lot of questions still unanswered.

Yuya then looked at Ruri curiously, "By the way, what do you think of Sora, Ruri?" He had heard from Yuzu about what recently happened since he couldn't hear her as he was paying attention to the duel and was concerned for her. He was also curious about what she thought about Sora right now, who is someone that can Fusion Summon.

Ruri's eyes widened a little before giving off a nervous smile, "Oh...uh, he's interesting I guess." She turned her head in the opposite direction so Yuya wouldn't be able to see her face which might have an expression that would give away. Yuya noticed that and looked at her concerned.

Meanwhile, while Yuzu was concerned for Ruri, hearing Yuya's comment about Sora made her think about what Yuya did in their duel yesterday. He had performed a Fusion Summon which she had never seen him do. Mikleo had said that he was the one who taught Yuya how to perform it but that thought just made her realize something.

"Hey, wait a minute!" All three of them stopped; Yuya and Ruri turned Yuzu who just shouted out with a suspicious look on her face. Yuzu turned towards Yuya, "Yuya, why didn't you tell us that you knew how to Fusion Summon?"

Yuya's eyes widened a little before giving off a nervous smile, "Oh, that. Well...I just wanted to surprise you all, that's all."

Yuzu narrowed her eyes at Yuya, "Then when did you learn how to do it?" Yuzu doesn't exactly know all of the details other than a little after his father disappeared, Yuya was being taught how to duel by his brother whenever they had You Show to themselves. At first, Yuzu thought that Mikleo just taught him how to use his cards a little better but seeing him Fusion Summon made her think it was more than that. If that was the case, why hasn't Yuya told them anything about that especially since his brother trained him for around four years and he supposedly stopped training him a year before his duel with Strong Ishijima.

Ruri was watching the interaction with a mixture of curiosity, confusion, and nervousness as she felt the situation getting a little tense as Yuzu seemed a little suspicious of Yuya.

Yuya sweatdropped as he looked a little more nervous, "Oh...well you see…"

Before Yuya could talk more, all three of them heard what sounded like an engine running in the distance. They all turned around to the direction of the sound and saw that someone was driving a motorcycle at high speed in their direction. It was moving so fast that no one had time to react except for Yuya who grabbed both Yuzu and Ruri by their waists and moved them out of the way by diving, "Look out!"

Luckily, they moved just in time for them to miss the motorcycle hitting them and all three of them landed on the ground from diving.

The person driving then stepped on the brakes to stop near them while turning her vehicle into their direction. The person looked surprised and concerned as she yelled out, "I'm so sorry! I didn't think there would be people here!" Rin was worried that she might have hurt those people by accident.

All three of them got off the ground by standing back up, unharmed as they avoided the crash. Yuya rubbing his neck with a smile towards the driver, "No worries. We're good."

Rin's eyes widened in shock as she saw the person who was talking. He had the same face as Yugo and the hooded boy as well. And considering he wasn't trying to hug her, she came to one conclusion and then narrowed her eyes at the boy, "So you came after me again?"

Yuya stopped rubbing his neck and then had a look of confusion on his face, "What?" Yuzu and Ruri blinked their eyes in confusion as they turned to the driver as well.

Rin then brought out her duel disk from her runner and placed it on her arm, "Well, if you think I will let you hurt me again, you got another thing coming!"

Yuzu had a trouble expression on her face, "W-Wait a minute! What are you talking about?"

Ruri then had an unwavering expression on her face, "Yeah, Yuya wouldn't purposely hurt anyone!"

All three of them looked at the driver as this person was wearing a blue and white jacket with pink pads on the shoulders and elbows, pink shorts, and white and pink boots that reached up to this person's thighs with pink knee pads. From the sound of her voice and the way she dressed, they knew it was a girl. She was also wearing a pink and white helmet with her visor on that covered most of her face.

Rin then noticed the two girls that had spoken and had her eyes widened in shock. These two girls had the exact same as her and she didn't know why.

It took Rin a few seconds before narrowing her eyes at them, "What...who are you two? And why do the same face as me?" Rin was so confused that she kind of forgotten her recent anger of her attacker.

Yuzu and Ruri both had their eyes widen a little as they heard this girl saying that while both were thinking, " _The same face as her?"_

The girl then got off her runner and proceeded to take off her helmet in order to show her face which had a confused expression on her face. This girl has shoulder-length aqua green hair with a lock of hair sticking similar to Yuya's hairstyle, along with two light green pigtails on both sides of her hair. She was also wearing jewelry that consisted a pair of blue studded earrings and had a black choker around her neck with a blue jewel. The girl also looked to be around their age. All three of them saw her face which had orange eyes but also had the same face as both Yuzu and Ruri.

Everyone was shocked and confused by what they were seeing; Yuzu and Ruri both said, "What?"

Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin then all walked towards each other to get a closer look and soon were within only a foot away from each other. They all stared at each other with a mixture of confusion and curiosity on their faces. After a few seconds, Rin decided to speak, "How...How is this possible? I don't even know you two and yet we all have the exact same face."

Yuzu was had a thinking expression on her face as she held her hand to her chin, "Maybe…" Yuzu then had a look of resolution on her face as she gave a theory, "We're like long lost sisters or something?" Even she wasn't sure about she just said, she just thought of a theory.

Ruri was thinking about it as well, "I don't know about that." While it was a nice theory, Ruri isn't sure either as she has been with Shun since she was born so it can't be possible unless Shun somehow knew about them and didn't tell her.

Rin narrowed her eyebrows in confusion and frustration as there were now more question she had that needed answering so she yelled in frustration, "Ah! None of this makes sense!"

Yuya was watching the exchange between the three of them with a mixture of confusion and curiosity as well. Yuya then walked over to them, "This is a little crazy and too confusing."

Rin then looked at Yuya and then remembered what she recently was about to do. She grabbed her duel disk, ready to defend herself again. Yuya's eyes widened a little as she brought her duel disk in a aggressive way. Yuya was thinking that there must be some misunderstanding as he had never met her before. He didn't want to duel with the way she is as she almost seemed a bit too defensive and guarded when ready to duel in which, in Yuya's opinion, she shouldn't have to be when dueling.

Ruri then waved her arms around in a hasty way with an sincere look on her face, "Wait! This is all a big misunderstanding! Yuya isn't the kind of person to intentionally hurt someone." Being around Yuya a lot showed Ruri that Yuya really is a generally kind person so she was ready to defend him.

Yuzu nodded as well, "Yeah. That's right, Yuya would never do anything to hurt anyone!" She believes in Yuya as well as she knew what kind of person he is from the very beginning she met him in her childhood and she stood by it.

Rin narrowed her eyes in suspicion and then walked over to Yuya to take a closer look at him. She stopped and then her face was so close to Yuya's that it was only a few inches away from each other. Yuya was a little surprised that this girl was so close to him but didn't do anything as he wanted to clear up the misunderstanding. Yuzu felt a little bothered by the fact that this girl was _really_ so close to Yuya but she didn't say anything as she didn't want to be rude. Ruri had a small stinging feeling in her heart as well though she has no idea why she has it.

Rin had her left hand under her chin as studied Yuya in order to take a closer look. She saw his face but didn't pay attention to the other features at first as she too focussed on defending herself. She saw that the boy had red and green hair in a sort of "tomato" hairstyle and he also had both a red and green eye in a strangely cute way as well. The boy's face also looked a little innocent similar to Yugo's. As she looked at the features of this boy, she remembered what the hooded duelist looked like and this boy didn't fit the description; he just had a similar face for some reason. That and this boy didn't seem sinister as the one who recently who attacked her.

As she took a few seconds to process the information, she blinked her eyes in confusion. She then sweatdropped as she had a look of realization on her face and then her face paled. She then backed away a little before quickly bowing to Yuya as she repeatedly apologized, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so very sorry!" She now felt really bad that he mistook him for her attacker.

Yuya sweatdropped a little before had a small smile while scratching his cheek, "No, it's alright."

She raised her head up as she had an apologetic look on her face, "No, I'm really sorry. I thought you were someone else." Rin felt embarrassed as she was supposed to the mature one between her and Yugo but now she acted like Yugo by almost starting a fight with someone else without asking questions first. True, she was acting based on her experience with her attacker last time, but that still wasn't any excuse.

Yuya then had a sweet smile on his face as he held his hand for a handshake, "Hey, it's no big deal. You realized it right away before anybody could get hurt."

Rin was surprised by how forgiving this boy could be given that she almost attacked him out of instinct. But seeing his sincere sweet smile, she smiled as well before accepting the handshake. Yuzu and Ruri were smiling at the nice scene.

Rin was looking at Yuya, "I'm Rin."

Yuya nodded before answering, "I'm Yuya Sakaki."

Ruri looked at Rin, "I'm Ruri Kurosaki."

Yuzu looked at Rin, "I'm Yuzu Hiragi."

Rin smiled at all three of them, "It's nice to meet all three of you." She then bowed a little, "And again, sorry for the trouble."

Ruri had a sweet smile on her face, "Oh, no. It's okay."

Yuya then looked at the vehicle behind her with curiosity, "Hey Rin, what's that motorcycle you were driving?"

Rin raised her eyebrows a little as she looked a little happy, "What, my duel runner? It's something me and Yugo like to use a lot especially when it comes to our dream."

Yuya raised an eyebrow, "Yugo? Is that a friend?"

Rin then smiled, "Yeah. Yugo is my childhood friend." While she wanted to say that Yugo does look like Yuya, she didn't want to say anything as it probably wouldn't make sense as it already is. After all, there's two more girls that have the same face as her so adding Yugo and Yuya to the mix would just get more complicated as it is.

Yuya then walked over to the runner and looked at it with more curiosity, "I've never seen a vehicle like this before." Yuya was really curious as to how this piece of technology works; he knows his brother would be interested as well.

Rin smiled as she seemed happy to talk about her duel runner, "Well, where I'm from a lot of people use these especially when dueling."

Yuzu looked at Rin with confusion, "Where you're from?"

Rin then had a sad smile, "Yeah. Apparently, I'm not in my home city anymore. I don't know how I got here." While Rin might have a specific idea as to how she got here, she didn't think the others would believe it as she's still having a hard time believing it as well mainly because it doesn't make sense.

Yuzu then looked at Ruri with wonder, "Then she would be just like you, Ruri." Ruri nodded but was more curious as to where exactly Rin is from anyway especially with the duel runner.

Rin then look at Ruri with surprise, "Wait, you're not from here as well?"

Ruri gave off a sad smile, "No, I'm not."

Rin then ran over to Ruri and got close to her with a hasty expression, "Do you where New Domino City is?" If Ruri wasn't from here, there was a chance that maybe she knew where her city was as well.

Ruri sweatdropped by how close Rin was before giving off a disappointing expression, "Sorry, I've never heard of New Domino City."

Rin heard what Ruri said as she lowered her head a little and gave off a defeated sigh, "Well, that sucks." She then raised her head, "So there where is this place anyway?"

Yuya walked over to the three of them, finished looking at the runner, "Maiami City."

Rin narrowed her eyes a little, "Maiami City…" She had never heard of this city before so she didn't know what to do now except try to find a way back to her home.

Yuzu then narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "Do you not have anyone as well?" Hearing the situation that Rin has honestly is the same with Ruri so that made her wonder as well.

Rin looked at Yuzu with a sad smile, "To take care of me? Not really." She then smiled a little more happily, "Then again, it's not so different when I'm with Yugo."

Ruri looked at Rin a little confused, "What do you mean?"

"We're orphans. We don't have any parents so we just have each other to take care of." said Rin. She then had a bright smile on her face, "It's fine once you get used to it."

Yuya, Yuzu, and Ruri then gave off a look of sadness as they felt bad for Rin. She seemed fine on her own but to only rely on yourself and your friend to take of is honestly a little sad. While Ruri didn't have parents, she had her brother Shun to rely on, so at least she had family with her. However, Rin did not and that didn't sit well with either of them.

Rin smiled at all of them, "Well, sorry for bothering you all but thank you for the talk as well. It was nice." She turned to her runner, "I've got to find a place to stay. So goodbye." She smiled at them and waved as she walked to her runner.

However, Rin stopped when she heard Yuzu shouting, "Wait, Rin!" She turned to see Yuzu who had a look of resolve and determination on her face as she continued, "Why don't you stay with me and Ruri for the time being?"

Rin fully turned around to look at Yuzu and had a surprised expression on her face, "Eh?" Was Yuzu seriously offering a home for her, a person she just met?

Ruri nodded in agreement as she had a sweet smile on her face, "That's right. How about you stay with us? I'm sure we can offer you a bed to sleep in." Yuya smiled at both Yuzu and Ruri as he was about to ask almost the exact same thing.

Rin narrowed her eyes in confusion and then had a look like she was thinking about something. Honestly, she was really surprised about the idea as these three people already seemed nicer than some of the people in her home as well. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to accept or not. She had a look of hesitation on her face, "I..I don't know."

Yuya looked at Rin with concern as she seemed hesitate to accept the offer. He then remembered as to how he got Ruri to accept his offer. He smiled as he knew what to do.

"Hey, Rin." The rest of them then turned to see Yuya speaking. He then got a determined expression on his face as he raised his fist, "How about we duel for it?"

Rin got surprised by what Yuya had said, "Huh? A duel?" Why was he asking for a duel? Not that she backs down from any duel, she just wondered why.

Yuzu looked at Yuya with a little bit of confusion but then she smiled as she heard Yuya challenging Rin for the offer to stay with her. Ruri, however, being in that situation before, giggled a little as she then knew what Yuya was offering.

Yuya then got more determined, "If I win, then you at least consider stay with Yuzu and Ruri for a few days." He didn't want to outright force her to stay if she didn't want to but he couldn't help it, it was just who he was.

Rin blinked her eyes in confusion as she basically heard that Yuya was challenging just for her to accept the offer to stay. It honestly sounded ridiculous but also sweet at the same time; it reminded her of Yugo as sometimes he does stuff like this. She began to chuckle and then started laughing for thinking of the whole situation while Yuya was confused as to why exactly she was laughing. Yuzu and Ruri, however, did know and just smiled.

Rin then got a determined expression on her face, "Alright, Yuya. You're on! I accept your challenge!" Rin then got her duel disk out of her jacket.

Yuya smirked, "That's what I like to hear. Let's do this!" Yuya brought out his duel disk as well.

Yuzu and Ruri looked and nodded at each other as they stepped back a few feet to give both duelists some space while watching.

Both Rin and Yuya placed their duel disks on their arms and activated them, ready to duel each other now as they stepped back a few inches.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **RIN LP: 4000**

Rin placed her fingers on her deck, "I'll go first. My turn! Draw!" Rin looked at her cards before picking up another one from her hand.

"When I have no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon from my hand, Wind Witch - Ice Bell ( **ATK: 1000** , DEF: 1000, LV: 3)!" Rin summoned a monster that resembled a female witch that was wearing a one piece pinkish-white suit with a purplish-pink bowtie. She was wearing purple and pink boots and a witch hat, riding on what appeared to be a broom made of ice with a bell that was yellow, purple, and light green. She also had her hair covering her eyes in which her hair was purple, dark blue and light blue as well.

Rin pointed at her monster, "When Ice Bell is Special Summoned, my opponent takes 500 points of damage!" Ice Bell then used her broom to unleash an icy wind towards Yuya.

 **YUYA LP: 4000** → **3500**

Yuya felt a little chilly as he was a little surprised, " _Effect damage?"_ To his knowledge, not many duelists would go for effect damage that early in the duel and he couldn't help but wonder what other surprises were in store.

Rin smiled at Yuya, "Also because I Special Summoned Ice Bell this way, I can now Special Summon 1 "Wind Witch" monster from my deck." Rin then took a card from her deck and placed it on her duel disk, "I Special Summon the Tuner monster Wind Witch - Glass Bell ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 1500, LV: 4)!" Rin summoned a monster that was similar to Ice Bell except she had light green hair instead of purple and she was wearing a white suit along with a light green witch hat.

Yuya's eyes widened a little, "What? _She has a Tuner? That means she can Synchro Summon._ " Just like Chihaya, Yuya wasn't expecting Rin to know how to Synchro Summon because most of the time Yuya hasn't met many people who know how to perform it.

Yuzu and Ruri were surprised by what Rin just summoned. Yuzu was curious, "A Tuner monster?" If Rin has a Tuner monster, to her knowledge, that meant she knew how to Synchro Summon which is another Extra Deck summoning like Fusion Summoning.

Ruri's eyes widened a little in both surprise and curiosity, "If she has a Tuner, then that means…" While Ruri didn't know much about Synchro Summoning like she does with Fusion Summoning, she has heard about how it is performed. Ruri was considering that Rin's situation was a lot similar to hers as well as never being in Maiami City before; if Rin knew how to Synchro Summon it made her wonder and she looked at Rin, " _I wonder...Could she be from the Synchro Dimension?"_ That theory may be possible but she needed more information first so she continued watching with curiosity.

Rin pointed at Glass Bell, "Because Glass Bell was Special Summoned, I add 1 "Wind Witch" monster from my Deck to my hand." Rin added a monster to her hand thanks to Glass Bell's effect.

Rin grabbed a card from her hand, "When I control 2 "Wind Witch" monsters on my field, I can Special Summon the Tuner monster Wind Witch - Snow Bell ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 100, LV: 1)!" Rin summoned a monster that mostly resembled a small humanoid white bell with yellow metal and blue jewels on it; it also had red eyes, white wings and a large blue jewel sphere for a head.

Yuya looked at the monster she just summoned, "Another Tuner?"

Rin smiled before grabbing another card, "I Normal Summon Wind Witch - Breeze Bell ( **ATK: 1200** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4)!" Rin summoned a female witch that was wearing a light blue witch hat; had both light blue and bluish-orange hair as well.

"When Breeze Bell is Normal Summoned, I gain 300 life points for every "Wind Witch" monster I control!" Breeze Bell then used her broom to unleash a soft, soothing breeze around Rin as gained life points. Since Rin controls 4 "Wind Witch" monsters, she gains 1200 life points.

 **RIN LP: 4000** → **5200**

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little, " _First effect damage and now gaining more life points. This might make it little harder to both defeat her and survive."_

Rin pointed at her monsters, "And now I tune my Level 4 Glass Bell with my Level 3 Ice Bell ( **4 + 3 = 7** )!" Glass Bell turned into four green rings and surrounded Ice Bell as Rin began her chant.

"Winds of winter, snow, and ice! Become a power to blow everything away! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7)!" Rin summoned her ace monster that resembled a humanoid wind chime that had blades in the style of an airplane and it was glowing light blue as well.

Yuya looked at the monster she summoned, " _So she does know how to Synchro Summoned."_ Yuya smiled, " _This will be more fun than I thought."_

Yuzu looked at the monster in amazement, "So that's a Synchro Summon…" Similar to Sora Fusion Summoning, this was the first time she had personally Synchro Summon as well and she was honestly a little amazed by it.

Ruri looked at the monster curiously as she had never seen the summoning method and wondered what kind of abilities it had.

Rin smiled at Yuya, "Just so you know, I never hold back in my duels…" She then pointed at Winter Bell, "And that includes summoning my ace monster!"

Yuya smiled excitedly, "Interesting. Then come at me Rin, let's see what you got." Yuya gladly accepted the "challenge" set out by Rin.

Rin smirked, "Okay, I will Yuya." She then pointed at Winter Bell, "I activate Wind Witch - Winter Bell's monster effect!" She then looked at her duel disk, "Once per turn, I select one "Wind Witch" monster in my Graveyard and you take damage equal to its level times 200. I choose Glass Bell!" A silhouette of Glass Bell appeared on the field briefly before Winter Bell unleashing a blizzard storm at Yuya. Since Glass Bell is Level 4, the damage dealt is 800.

 **YUYA LP: 3500** → **2700**

After the storm disappeared, Yuya looked at Rin with an impressed smile, " _Not many people rely on effect damage and therefore not many people have defenses against it either. She didn't even have to attack and she already has so much of an advantage on me. She's good."_

Rin smiled before pointed at her other monsters, "And now I tune my Level 1 Snow Bell with my Level 4 Breeze Bell ( **1 + 4 = 5** )!" Both monsters flew into the air to begin the summoning.

"Winds of rain, harden by stronger winds! Form stronger ice so that you gain new power! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 5! Wind Witch - Flake Bell ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1800, LV: 5)!" Rin summoned a humanoid wind chime with yellow eyes that was light green and wearing a dark green dress as well. It also had four wings, which each had a white sphere in them, on its back that were larger than its arms.

Rin pointed at Yuya, "Wind Witch - Flake Bell's monster effect! When this card is Synchro Summoned, you take damage equal to the amount of "Wind Witch" monsters in my Graveyard times 300!" There were four of them in her Graveyard so the damage is 1200. Flake Bell then moved it's wings forward as they all unleashed large ice crystals towards Yuya and hitting him. He then landed on his back with a thud.

 **YUYA LP: 2700** → **1500**

Rin grabbed a card from her hand, "I set a card and end my turn."

Ruri looked both surprised and impressed by the display, "It's only her first turn and she dealt so much damage to Yuya."

Yuzu looked impressed as well, "Yeah, she's really good." She then looked at Yuya with a little bit of concern, " _Yuya."_

Rin looked at Yuya a little concerned but also smiling at the same time, " _Maybe I went a little too overboard."_ There are a lot of times where Yugo says she's unrelentless when it comes to her dueling but she honestly can't help herself.

However, to Rin's surprise, Yuya started laughing as he laying on the ground. He sat up and looked at her with an excited smile, "Wow, it's only the first turn but you're already awesome Rin!"

Rin blinked, "Huh?" Was Yuya seriously smiling after all of that damage?

Yuya got off the ground and dusted himself off; he looked at Rin with an impressed look, "I didn't think it would get intense already but that's what makes dueling so fun."

Rin's eyes widened a little, " _He sounds almost exactly like…"_ Her thoughts turn to Yugo as he got excited during duels even backed into a corner. She always thought that trait of him was admirable and seeing another person doing it as well honestly then made her laugh a little.

Yuya blinked his eyes in confusion as to why Rin was laughing but then shrugged it off as he smiled, " _Not sure how I made her laugh but at least she's having fun."_

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn! Draw!" Yuya looked at the card he drew and smiled, " _This can help me with Rin's strategy…"_

Yuya grabbed another card from his hand, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 Aurora Magician and Scale 5 Nobledragon Magician!" Yuya placed both magicians into the Pendulum Scale and then both of them appeared.

Nobledragon was a female magician wearing a long white and purple dress. She had purple hair and pink eyes. She was also wearing a white and yellow hat with a jewel in the middle of it. She also has a white staff with two red gems on each side.

Aurora was a male magician that had most of the top of his face covered up by a dark blue hood. He was wearing a wearing a black and blue outfit, a white scarf, blue gloves and black boots; had black hair and blue eyes. Most of his body was covered in clothing except for its arms which had tattoos in the shape of a dragon on them.

"And now I can summon monsters with levels between 3 and 4 at the same time!"

Rin was watching the scene in both awe and confusion, " _What is he doing? What's Pendulum?"_

The portal appeared along the giant pendulum as Yuya chanted, "Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" Three lights appeared from the portal, "Appear! Entermate Handsome Liger ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 400, LV: 4), Entermate Silver Claw ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 700, LV: 4, PS: 5), and Entermate Radish Horse (ATK: 500, **DEF: 2000** , LV: 4, PS: 3)!"

The first monster that was summoned was a warrior with liger traits as it had the hairstyle and face of a liger. It was wearing a red samurai outfit with a short white cape and it wielded a long sword. If you looked at the face closely, you can see that this monster is actually quite handsome. The second monster that appeared was a silver wolf with a polka-dotted bowtie, had chains hanging off of its neck, and had sharp, silver claws. The last monster was a pinkish-red horse that looked like it was literally made out of radishes as its body and horn were radishes along with its leafy tail. It was also wearing a polka-dotted bowtie and had a star painted over its left eye.

Rin was amazed by what she just saw, "Pendulum Summon...Amazing…" She was honestly surprised and impressed that there was a summoning method like this existing.

Rin looked at Yuya, "What is Pendulum Summon?" She was more curious as it was another summoning method she hadn't heard of before.

Yuya smiled, "Pendulum Summon allows you summon multiple monsters at once as long as you have Pendulum Monsters in your Pendulum Scales with the correct levels." Rin's widened a little at the revelation.

Yuya pointed at Radish Horse, "I activate Entermate Radish Horse's monster effect! Once per turn, I target one monster my opponent control and it loses ATK equal to Radish Horse's!" Radish Horse launched its horn at Winter Bell and then exploded into particles, weakening Winter Bell.

 **Wind Witch - Winter Bell** ( **ATK: 2400→1900** )

Yuya smiled, "Winter Bell loses 500 ATK and then that same amount gets added to one my monsters until the End Phase. I chose Entermate Handsome Liger!" The particles then strengthen Handsome Liger.

 **Entermate Handsome Liger** ( **ATK: 1800→2300** )

Yuya pointed at his monsters, "Battle! Entermate Silver Claw attack Wind Witch - Flake Bell!" Silver Claw ran straight to Flake Bell as Yuya continued, "When Silver Claw attacks, all "Entermate" monsters I control gain 300 ATK until the end of the battle phase."

 **Entermate Silver Claw** ( **ATK: 1800→2100** )  
 **Entermate Handsome Liger** ( **ATK: 2300→2600** )

Rin smiled, "When Breeze Bell is used as Synchro Material for a "Wind Witch" monster, that monster can't be destroyed by battle once per turn!" A silhouette of Breeze Bell before Silver Claw slashed Flake Bell with its claws.

Yuya smiled, "But you still take battle damage."

 **RIN LP: 5200** → **5100**

"Entermate Handsome Liger attack Wind Witch - Winter Bell!" Handsome Liger ran forward and slashed Winter Bell with its sword, destroying it.

 **RIN LP: 5100** → **4400**

Yuya looked at Rin, "When Handsome Liger destroys a monster by battle, I can add one Level 5 or above Pendulum Monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Entermate Monkeyboard!" Yuya added a monster to his hand thanks to Handsome Liger's effect.

Rin then smirked a little at Yuya, "Thank you for that, Yuya." Yuya then got confused as to what she was thanking him for until he saw what she was about to do.

Rin pointed at Yuya, "I activate my Trap Card: Blizzard Revenge! When a "Wind Witch" monster I control is destroyed, this card inflicts damage to you equal to that monster's level times 200." A silhouette of Winter Bell appeared, "Winter Bell's level is 7 so you take 1400 points of damage!"

Yuzu's eyes widened at the move, "Then that means that Yuya will only have 100 life points left!" Ruri was a little worried for Yuya as well.

Winter Bell then unleashed a huge blizzard storm towards Yuya. Yuya looked at Aurora Magician; the magician nodded in agreement. Yuya smiled at Rin, "Actually, things are going to be a little different."

Rin's eyes blinked in confusion, "Why's that?"

Yuya pointed at his monster, "I activate Aurora Magician's Pendulum effect! Damage Drain!" The tattoos on Aurora glowed as he put his arms in front of himself and the blizzard moved towards Aurora with him absorbing the storm.

Rin's eyes widened a little in surprise, "What?"

Yuya smiled, "Once per turn, I don't take any effect damage and I gain life points equal to the amount I would have taken instead." Aurora then sent a soothing breeze at Yuya, recovering some of his life.

 **YUYA LP: 1500** → **2900**

Rin was surprised but then smiled, "Damn, I almost had you." Rin then looked at Yuya, "Blizzard Revenge also lets Special Summon a "Wind Witch" monster from my Graveyard that's level is less than the one that was destroyed! I summon back Wind Witch - Ice Bell ( **ATK: 1000** )!" Ice Bell was summoned back thanks to Rin's trap and then she pointed at Ice Bell, "When Ice Bell is Special Summoned, you take 500 points of damage!"

 **YUYA LP: 2900** → **2400**

Yuya sighed in relief as if he wouldn't have drawn Aurora Magician, he would have lost so he's thankful for his deck.

Yuya smiled at Rin, "Since it is now the end of the battle phase, Silver Claw's effect ends as well."

 **Entermate Silver Claw** ( **ATK: 2100→1800** )  
 **Entermate Handsome Liger** ( **ATK: 2600→2300** )

Yuya grabbed a card and placed it in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn. Radish Horse's effect also ends as well."

 **Entermate Handsome Liger** ( **ATK: 2300→1800** )

Rin smiled at Yuya; she honestly thought she had beaten with her effect damage combos but then he survived so that made it more interesting. He is good.

Yuzu sighed in relief, "At least, Yuya is now somewhat protected from effect damage."

Ruri smiled sweetly and nodded in agreement as she looked at Rin, "Now, I'm wondering how Rin would respond back."

Rin placed her fingers on her deck, "My turn! Draw!"

Rin took a card from her hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Witch Rebirth which allows to summon back a "Wind Witch" monster from my Graveyard. I summon back Wind Witch - Winter Bell ( **ATK: 2400** )!" Winter Bell was brought back to the field thanks to Rin's card.

Rin grabbed another card, "Next, by decreasing the levels of "Wind Witch" monsters I control by two, I can Special Summon Wind Witch - Cloud Bell ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 1600, LV: 6)!" Rin summoned a female witch that had gray hair and was wearing both an orange witch hat and a gray suit.

 **Wind Witch - Winter Bell** ( **LV: 7→5** )  
 **Wind Witch - Ice Bell** ( **LV: 3→1** )  
 **Wind Witch - Flake Bell** ( **LV: 5→3** )

"Wind Witch - Cloud Bell's effect activates! While this monster is on the field, all "Wind Witch" monsters I control gain 800 ATK!"

 **Wind Witch - Winter Bell (ATK: 2400→3200)  
** **Wind Witch - Flake Bell (ATK: 2000→2800)  
** **Wind Witch - Cloud Bell (ATK: 1600→2400)  
** **Wind Witch - Ice Bell (ATK: 1000→1800)**

Yuzu looked surprised, "Now her monsters are stronger!"

Rin smiled at Yuya, "If I can't win with effect damage, then I'll go with battle damage." She then pointed at her monsters, "Battle! Winter Bell attack Handsome Liger!" Winter Bell made large icicles and launched them at Handsome Liger.

Yuya smiled as he pointed at his card, "Trap Card, open! Trick Barrier! This card allows me to choose the target of your attack and I pick Radish Horse!" The icicles then shifted towards Radish Horse and destroyed it, "Due to Trick Barrier's effect, I get to draw a card." Yuya drew a card from his deck as Rin's battle phase continued.

"Flake Bell attack Handsome Liger!" Flake Bell formed magic signs from its hands before unleashing ice magic at Handsome Liger and destroyed it.

Yuya smirked as he showed the card he just drew, "I activate Entermate Barrier Balloon Tapir's effect! By sending this card to the Graveyard, neither player takes damage from this battle!" Yuya sended Balloon Tapir to the Graveyard as the blue monster, that resembled a balloon elephant wearing a top hat, sucked up the damage from the explosion.

Rin narrowed her eyes a little as she was having trouble damaging Yuya but still smiled, "Cloud Bell attack Silver Claw!" Cloud Bell unleashed blustering winds at Silver Claw and destroyed it.

 **YUYA LP: 2400→1800**

Ruri's eyes widened a little as she saw how Rin was able to dominate the field so easily. Yuzu was surprised as well, "If Ice Bell attacks, Yuya will lose!"

Rin smiled at Yuya, "Ice Bell attack Yuya directly!" Ice Bell unleashed a icy wind towards Yuya.

However, Yuya smirked a little as he raised his hand, "I activate the effect Barrier Balloon Tapir in my Graveyard!"

Rin was surprised, "What?"

Yuya showed the last card in his hand as he smiled, "When I'm attacked directly, I can send an "Entermate" monster in my hand to Graveyard…" Yuya sended Entermate Monkeyboard to the Graveyard and then Balloon Tapir appeared out Yuya's duel disk, "And then I Special Summon Entermate Barrier Balloon Tapir (ATK: 1000, **DEF: 2000** , LV: 6) from my Graveyard!" Balloon Tapir was brought out to the field thanks to its effect.

Rin frowned a little as she could no longer attack as Balloon Tapir was stronger so she called out to Ice Bell, "Ice Bell, stop your attack!" Ice Bell stopped attacking and went back to Rin's field.

Rin grabbed the last two cards in her hand, "I set two cards and end my turn."

Yuzu sighed in relief that her childhood friend survived that. Ruri smiled in relief as well.

Rin gave Yuya gave an impressed smile, "I'm impressed, Yuya. In a normal duel, it honestly would have been over already. But you're really good."

Yuya smiled in agreement, "Thanks. You're impressive as well Rin. I mean look how much damage you've dealt and you barely attacked." Rin rubbed her neck, feeling a little embarrassed by the praise.

Yuya looked at Rin, "My turn! Draw! I activate the Magic Card: Spellbook Inside the Pot in which the both of us have to draw 3 cards!" Yuya and Rin both drew their cards and added them to their hands.

Yuya looked at his current cards and grabbed one of them, "I activate the Magic Card: Scale Up! This lets me increase the Pendulum Scale of one monster in my Pendulum Zone by two!" Yuya pointed at Nobledragon Magician and then her scale rose from 5 to 7.

 **Nobledragon Magician** ( **PS: 5→7** )

"So now I can summon monsters between 3 and 6 at the same time." The portal appeared along the giant pendulum as Yuya chanted, "Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" Three lights appeared from the portal, "Come forth! From the Extra Deck, Entermate Silver Claw ( **ATK: 1800** ) and Entermate Radish Horse ( **ATK: 500** )! And from my hand, Entermate Kaleido Scorpion ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 2300, LV: 6, PS: 4)!"

Rin looked confused, "Wait, Silver Claw and Radish Horse? Weren't they destroyed?" How was Yuya able to bring them back?

Yuya smiled, "When destroyed, Pendulum Monsters go to the Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard and with the right Pendulum Scales, I can bring them back."

"So then you can summon them again as many times as you want. Amazing…" Rin was astonished by this new summoning method.

Yuya smiled as grabbed a card from his hand, "And there's more surprises in store. I activate the Magic Card: Resolve Draw! This lets me draw a card for every monster I control that was Special Summoned!" Since he controls three of them, Yuya drew 3 cards from his deck.

Yuya looked at the cards he drew and smiled, "I activate the Magic Card: Odd-Eyes Accel! This allows me to Normal Summon an "Odd-Eyes" monster without a tribute!" Yuya grabbed a card from his hand, "I Normal Summon Odd-Eyes Magician ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1500, LV: 6, PS: 8)!"

"Odd-Eyes Magician's effect activates! Now all Pendulum Monsters I control gain 500 ATK!" Yuya nodded at Odd-Eyes who smiled, _"Always happy to help, Master Yuya."_ He then used his staff to power up Yuya's monsters.

 **Entermate Silver Claw** ( **ATK: 1800→2300** )  
 **Entermate Radish Horse** ( **ATK: 500→1000** )  
 **Entermate Kaleido Scorpion** ( **ATK: 100→600** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2300→2800** )

Yuya pointed at Radish Horse, "And now I activate Radish Horse's effect! I target your Winter Bell once again in order power up my Silver Claw!"

 **Wind Witch - Winter Bell** ( **ATK: 3200→2200** )  
 **Entermate Silver Claw** ( **ATK: 2300→3300** )

Rin honestly had a bad feeling about this as Yuya was clearly not done with his move yet. However, she was honestly excited and curious as to what he was about to do.

Yuya smiled as he held out a hand towards Rin, "I now activate Entermate Kaleido Scorpion's effect! Kaleido Search!" Kaleido Scorpion unleashed a beam of light from its tail and it hit all of Rin's monsters while also producing beautiful patterns around the area.

Rin was awe at the beautiful scene that Yuya's monster was creating and couldn't help but stare at it. Yuzu and Ruri smiled in awe as well, even though they have seen it before, it was still nice to look at.

Yuya smiled at Rin, "Since you have monsters on your field that were Special Summoned, one monster on my field can now attack each of them once. I select Entermate Silver Claw!" Yuya patted Silver Claw who howled in gratefulness as it glowed as well.

Yuya then got excited as he pointed at Rin's monster, "Now then, battle! Silver Claw attack Winter Bell!" Silver Claw charged at Winter Bell as it's effect activated again.

 **Entermate Silver Claw** ( **ATK: 3300→3600** )  
 **Entermate Radish Horse** ( **ATK: 1000→1300** )  
 **Entermate Kaleido Scorpion** ( **ATK: 600→900** )

However, Rin smirked as she pressed two buttons on her duel disk, "I activate my two face downs: the Quick-Play Magic: Witch's Wrath and the Trap Card: Weather Guard!" Two cards appeared on Rin's field.

Yuya was a little surprised, "What? _She activated both of them?_ "

Rin pointed at her first card, "Witch's Wrath can be activated when a "Wind Witch" monster I control battles so now you take damage equal to Winter Bell's level times 300." She then pointed at her second card, "Weather Guard can activated when a "Wind Witch" monster I control is attacked, so now the attack is negated and you take damage equal to half of the attacking monster's ATK!" Weather Guard produced a large cloud which blocked Silver Claw's field of vision, preventing it from attacking.

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he tried to calculate what exactly happened. Because Rin activated Weather Guard last, Aurora Magician negated the damage from it and gave Yuya life points but Witch's Wrath came after and it inflicted damage to Yuya. Yuya was then hit with an icicle barrage by Witch's Wrath.

 **YUYA LP: 1800→3600→1200**

Yuya breathed a little heavily as he took some damage, "When a Pendulum Monster activates its Pendulum Effect, I can draw a card thanks to Odd-Eyes Magician." Yuya then drew a card from his deck as he recovered from the blast. Yuya gave an impressed smile, " _She carefully activated the right ones in order to still deal more damage to me and bypassing Aurora's effect._ "

Yuya smiled as he continued, "Silver Claw attack Cloud Bell!"

 **Entermate Silver Claw** ( **ATK: 3600→3900** )  
 **Entermate Radish Horse** ( **ATK: 1300→1600** )  
 **Entermate Kaleido Scorpion** ( **ATK: 900→1200** )

Silver Claw charged and slashed Cloud Bell, destroying it.

 **RIN LP: 4400→2900**

Yuya looked at Rin, "Since Cloud Bell was destroyed, its effect is gone as well so your monsters' ATK return to normal."

 **Wind Witch - Winter Bell** ( **ATK: 2200→1400** )  
 **Wind Witch - Flake Bell** ( **ATK: 2800→2000** )  
 **Wind Witch - Ice Bell** ( **ATK: 1800→1000** )

Rin, however, then smiled as she pulled a card from her hand, "When a "Wind Witch" monster I control is destroyed, I can Special Summon Wind Witch - Clear Bell (ATK: 0, **DEF: 0** , LV: 5) from my hand!" Rin summoned a humanoid wind chime that was similar to Snow Bell except the bottom half was made of glass instead of metal and had yellow eyes instead.

Rin was smiling, "As long as Clear Bell is on my field, I don't take battle damage from battles involving my "Wind Witch" monsters. And as long as I have another "Wind Witch" monster, you can't target this monster with attacks."

Yuya's eyes widened a little, _"So that means I'll have to get rid of it as soon as possible."_

Yuya pointed at Silver Claw, "Silver Claw attack Ice Bell!"

 **Entermate Silver Claw** ( **ATK: 3900→4200** )  
 **Entermate Radish Horse** ( **ATK: 1600→1900** )  
 **Entermate Kaleido Scorpion** ( **ATK: 1200→1500** )

Silver Claw charged and slashed Ice Bell, destroying it.

"Silver Claw attack Flake Bell!"

 **Entermate Silver Claw** ( **ATK: 4200→4500** )  
 **Entermate Radish Horse** ( **ATK: 1900→2200** )  
 **Entermate Kaleido Scorpion** ( **ATK: 1500→1800** )

Silver Claw charged and slashed Ice Bell, but because of Breeze Bell's effect it wasn't destroyed.

Yuya pointed at Radish Horse, "Now then, Radish Horse attack Flake Bell!" Radish Horse jumped up into the air and rammed Flake Bell with its horn, destroying it.

Rin looked at Yuya with her hand out, "When Flake Bell is destroyed, I can Special Summon one "Wind Witch" monster from my Graveyard. I summon back Wind Witch - Ice Bell ( **ATK: 1000** )!" Ice Bell was brought back to the field and because of her effect, Yuya took 500 points of damage.

 **YUYA LP: 1200→700**

Yuya sighed but then smiled as Rin still wasn't holding back when it comes to damaging him. He then pointed at Silver Claw, "Silver Claw attack Ice Bell again!"

 **Entermate Silver Claw** ( **ATK: 4500→4800** )  
 **Entermate Radish Horse** ( **ATK: 2200→2500** )  
 **Entermate Kaleido Scorpion** ( **ATK: 1800→2100** )

Silver Claw charged and slashed Ice Bell, destroying it once again.

Yuya pointed at his Odd-Eyes, "Odd-Eyes Magician attack Winter Bell! Spiral Magic!" Odd-Eyes unleashed its colorful magic blast at Winter Bell, destroying it.

Yuya smiled as he pointed at his final monster, "And now, Kaleido Scorpion attack Clear Bell!" Kaleido Scorpion unleashed a stream of light from its tail and hitting Clear Bell, destroying it.

Yuya sighed as there was honestly a lot of attacking, "Since the battle phase is over, so is Silver Claw's effect."

 **Entermate Silver Claw** ( **ATK: 4800→3300** )  
 **Entermate Radish Horse** ( **ATK: 2500→1000** )  
 **Entermate Kaleido Scorpion** ( **ATK: 2100→600** )

Yuya grabbed a card from his hand, "I set a card and end my turn." Since it is the End Phase, both the effects of Scale Up and Radish Horse end as well.

 **Nobledragon Magician** ( **PS: 7→5** )  
 **Entermate Silver Claw** ( **ATK: 3300→2300** )

Ruri was watching this duel in amazement, "Amazing, both of them are giving it their all. Even though Yuya now has the advantage, Rin still has more life points."

Yuzu nodded in agreement, "Yeah." She then smiled while cheering, "Yuya! Rin! Neither one of you give up!"

Both Rin and Yuya were smiling in excitement as they were having a duel that was back and forth between and it was really fun.

Rin gave Yuya a sweet smile, "You really are good, Yuya. I can't remember the times I had a duel this much fun other than my duels with Yugo."

Yuya nodded, "Glad you're enjoying it, everyone should have fun while dueling."

Rin nodded as well, "Yeah."

Rin smiled as she placed her fingers on her deck, "As much as I want to keep dueling, I'm ending this right now!"

Yuya accepted the challenge with a smile, "Bring it!"

"My turn! Draw!" Rin drew her card and looked at it with a smile.

Rin grabbed another one from her hand, "I activate another Magic Card: Witch Rebirth in order to bring back Wind Witch - Winter Bell ( **ATK: 2400** ) once again!" Winter Bell once again came back to Rin's field.

Rin pointed at Winter Bell, "I activate Winter Bell's effect! This time I target Snow Bell in my Graveyard to deal damage to you!" A silhouette of Snow Bell appeared before Winter Bell unleashed an icy wind at Yuya. Aurora Magician absorbed the blast and gave life points to Yuya.

 **YUYA LP: 700→900**

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little, "She did that so she could bypass Aurora's effect; now she's free to deal more damage to me especially since I didn't gain a lot of life points."

Rin smiled as she grabbed a card from her hand, "I Normal Summon Wind Witch - Snow Bell ( **ATK: 100** )!" Rin summoned another Snow Bell from her hand to the field.

Rin then held out her hand in the air, "I now tune my Level 1 Snow Bell with my Level 7 Winter Bell ( **1 + 7 = 8** )!" Snow Bell turned a single green energy ring that surrounded Winter Bell.

"Raging winds of the weather! Form a great power to blow everything out of your path! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Wind Witch - Storm Bell ( **ATK: 2800** , DEF: 2200, LV: 8)!" Rin summoned a monster that was similar to Winter Bell except for wings, it had jets attached to its back and had blasters for arms. It also had legs instead of a bottom blade except the top of it did resembled a helicopter. It was also darker and had yellow streams along its body.

Yuya was impressed by the monster she just summoned but also had a bad feeling about it as well.

Rin smiled as she pointed at Storm Bell, "I activate Storm Bell's monster effect! Once per turn, I can inflict to my opponent equal to half of the total amount of ATK of the monsters used to Synchro Summon this card!"

Yuya was surprised, "What?"

Rin still smiled as she continued, "Winter Bell has 2400 and Snow Bell has 100 so the total amount is 2500." She then pointed at Yuya, "So now you take 1250 points of damage!" Storm Bell fired raging wind blasts from its arms and they were headed toward Yuya.

Ruri looked at the move with worry, "If this effect connects, Yuya will lose!"

Yuzu yelled in concern, "Yuya! Watch out!"

Yuya smirked, "It's fine, Yuzu. I've already counted on that." He then pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Deflect Draw which reduces effect damage to 0!" The wind blasts disappeared before they could connect with Yuya. Yuya smiled, "And due to my trap, I draw a card."

Rin frowned and pouted a little bit as she couldn't finish it with Storm Bell's effect. She then sighed and smiled, "Oh well, I'll just have to finish it by battle."

Rin pointed at Storm Bell, "Battle! Storm Bell attack Kaleido Scorpion!" Storm Bell unleashed blustering winds towards Kaleido Scorpion. With the difference between their attack points, if this attack connects, Yuya will lose.

Yuya narrowed his eyes as the attack was getting closer. He then looked at his hand and saw a card he can use. He picked up from his hand and showed it to Rin, "Not so fast. You see when an "Entermate" monster I control is attacked, by sending Entermate Ghostly Protector to my Graveyard both monsters that are battling are now switched to defense position!" Yuya sended a monster to the Graveyard and a silhouette of it appeared. It was apparently a ghost with a top hat with along with a pentacle necklace hanging around it. The silhouette then produced a sonic wave which forced both monsters into defense position.

 **Wind Witch - Storm Bell** ( **ATK: 2800→DEF: 2200** )  
 **Entermate Kaleido Scorpion** ( **ATK: 600→DEF: 2300** )

Rin huffed in slight frustration but then smiled, "Darn. Well in that case, I activate the Equip Magic: Witch's Blessing and equip onto Storm Bell. So now Storm Bell can't be destroyed by battle or by card effects."

Rin looked at Yuya, "I end my turn."

Yuya smiled, "My turn! Draw!" He looked at the card he drew and smiled. He then looked at Rin, "As much I want to keep dueling, I think it's time I end this."

Rin gave a smirk to Yuya, "Well, come on Yuya! Bring it on!"

Yuya held up the card he drew with a card, "With pleasure. Since I control an "Entermate" monster, I can Special Summon the Tuner monster Entermate Security Jackal ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 600, LV: 3)!" Yuya brought Jackal onto the field next to his other monsters.

Rin's eyes widened in surprise, "A tuner?!"

Yuzu looked at Jackal with both wonder and confusion, "Tuner monster? Wait, that's the same monster Yuya brought out in his duel with Sora. If Jackal is a Tuner, did that mean Yuya also knows how to…?" Ruri was wondering the same thing in curiosity.

Yuya smiled as he pointed at his monsters, "And now I tune my Level 3 Security Jackal with my Level 4 Radish Horse ( **3 + 4 = 7** )!" Both monsters jumped into the air as Yuya began the chant.

"Entertainers of the world! A new star is born as a new power is merged in the form of rock n' roll! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Entermate Action Rockstar ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 2300, LV: 7)!" Yuya summoned a monster that looked somewhat demonic but also harmless at the same time as it looked really cool. It was wearing a purple rockstar outfit and star themed sunglasses, had a guitar on its back, and had some jewelry hanging around its neck.

Yuzu and Ruri were looking at the monster that was summoned with admiration as Yuya hadn't performed a Synchro Summon in front of them before. But then Yuzu was wondering about something, "If Jackal was a Tuner, why didn't Yuya then use it to Synchro Summon in his duel with Sora?" She honestly didn't know the answer to that.

Rin was amazed and impressed, "I didn't know you could Synchro Summon, Yuya. That's awesome!"

Yuya nodded, "Thank you. It's something I'm recently trying to get back into."

Rin looked at him with excitement, "Well now that you showed me that you can do it. Let's see what your Synchro Summoning is like."

Yuya smirked as he pointed at Rockstar, "You asked for it. I activate Entermate Action Rockstar's monster effect!" Action Rockstar then brought out his guitar and then playing music. Yuya smiled, "When Rockstar is Synchro Summoned, I can then destroy magic and trap cards on the field equal to the number of non-Tuner monsters that I used to Synchro Summon this card! Soundwave Performance!" Rockstar then amped up his music and strung his guitar so it produced a sound wave that knocked over Rin's magic card and destroyed it.

Rin's eyes a widened a little as she realized what this meant, "Oh no…"

Yuya smiled, "That's right, Rin. Now your Storm Bell is no longer protected."

He then pointed at his monsters, "Battle! Entermate Action Rockstar attack Storm Bell!" Giant music notes then appeared from Rockstar's guitar and blasted towards Storm Bell, destroying the monster.

Yuya smiled at Rin, "This is the end! Odd-Eyes Magician and Silver Claw attack Rin directly!" Both monsters unleashed their respective attacks at Rin.

Rin looked at the attacks with surprise but deciding to accept them with a smile.

 **RIN LP: 2900→0**

 **YUYA: WIN  
** **RIN: LOSE**

Yuzu was happy for Yuya and Rin, "Good job, Yuya and Rin!"

Ruri was happy as well, "You both did really great!"

Rin landed on her knees after taking the full assault of those attacks. She had an unreadable expression on her face as her face was temporarily covered by her bangs. Yuya walked over to Rin with a little bit of concern on his face before heard Rin laughing. Rin was then laughing fully as she then had a very happy smile on her face. She had honestly really enjoyed the duel she had with Yuya especially compared to the recent one she just had. She had always loved this joy when it came to dueling and was glad there were people like him who supported this analogy.

Yuya was looking with wonder at Rin laughing before deciding to laugh as well, feeling joy in their duel as well. Yuzu and Ruri then laughed as well as they enjoyed watching the duel. After a few more seconds, they all stopped to regain their composure.

Rin looked up at Yuya and saw him reaching out with a hand. She accepted it and Yuya pulled her up from the ground.

Rin smiled at Yuya, "Thank you for the fun duel, Yuya."

Yuya smiles cheekily as he rubbed his neck, "No problem. Always a pleasure to bring joy into dueling."

Yuzu and Ruri then walked over to them. Rin then looked at all three of them, "You know what. Now that I dueled with you, Yuya, I think I decided to take your offer."

Ruri smiled sweetly, "That's great, Rin!"

Rin, however, then looked a little nervous, "But...are you sure it's alright?"

Yuzu nodded with a smile, "Of course. I'm sure me and my dad can find another bed for you to sleep in."

Yuya chuckled a little, "Yeah. But first, we're gonna have to say something about why Rin has the same face as you two."

Ruri then gave off a look of realization and then frowned, "Oh...Yeah, it probably wouldn't make sense."

All four of them were silent as neither still didn't know the answer to that so they weren't sure what to say.

Yuya decided to break the silence with a smile, "I don't think it will be a problem." The three girls then looked at him with confusion, "After all, it's like I said before, I'm sure it will all make sense eventually if we just be patient. Besides, Principal might be weirded out again but I'm sure he wouldn't say no."

Yuzu smiled and nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I'm sure dad will let you stay Rin."

Rin then smiled, "I hope you're right, Yuzu."

Yuya nodded, "Well then, let's get going."

All four of them then proceeded to head forward towards You Show while also helping Rin move her duel runner in their direction as well. Rin really didn't want to leave it in the middle of nowhere.

* * *

 **YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL - CLASSROOM**

"EHHH?!" Shuzo shouting in shock by what he was seeing, it was another girl that had the same face as his daughter and Ruri; he didn't know what to think again.

Yuya, Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin recently arrived at You Show while leaving the duel runner inside another room of You Show for a moment. When Yuya, Ruri, and Yuzu introduced Rin to them they were surprised as there was another person with the same face.

Mikleo, who was recently reading a book on the couch, looked Rin with confusion as he didn't know what to make of it either. Gongenzaka was confused as well.

The three kids, Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya, were looking at Rin. Futoshi was eating nervously, "I'm getting the shivers again." Ayu looked at Rin with wonder, "Another girl like Big Sis Yuzu and Big Sis Ruri?" Tatsuya was curious, "This is beyond strange."

While Shuzo was honestly a little bothered by the fact that Ruri had the same face as her daughter, he eventually gotten used to it and began to care for Ruri more but now seeing another one was just adding more to the confusion.

Yuya, Yuzu, and Ruri sweatdropped a little as they kind of expected this reaction especially with what happened with Ruri before. Rin, however, was honestly a little nervous by the reactions she was getting.

After around a few more seconds, Shuzo regained his composure and decided to calm down. He then looked at Rin with a curious expression, "So you said your name was Rin?"

Rin nodded, "Uh-huh. It's nice to meet you, Yuzu's dad."

Afterwards, everyone else introduced themselves to Rin as well. Yuya then explained that Rin's situation was a lot similar to Ruri's and how she didn't have a home or parents as well right now.

After hearing that, Shuzo then understood what Yuya was asking him, "So you want me take in Rin as well?"

Yuzu looked at her father with a pleading expression, "Please, dad. There's really no harm in it."

Shuzo scratched his neck while thinking about it for a minute. After that, he sighed and then smiled, "Sure, you can stay with us as well Rin."

Rin then was really surprised as she didn't expect him to yes. She almost wanted to cry a little as it was almost like she was finally living with a family but didn't say anything. Rin smiled, "Thank you so much." Shuzo also mentioned that if Rin wanted to stay with them, then she has to join You Show as well which she excepted to his joy.

After that, the rest of You Show pretty much got the chance to know more about Rin for the rest of the day especially with the duel runner she brought which peaked Mikleo's interest by how it looked. After around a few hours, everyone went home.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HIRAGI RESIDENCE (NIGHTTIME)**

"Thank you giving me a place to live in, Yuzu, Ruri." Rin was smiling, thankful for the both of them and Yuya for this opportunity. All three girls were wearing pajamas as they were in Ruri's room in which will also be occupied by Rin as well as they moved another mattress in it since there is enough space.

Yuzu smiled, "No problem, Rin." She then turned to leave but not before saying, "And don't worry, I'm sure we'll find a way to get you both home. I'm just glad we're giving you two a place to stay. Goodnight."

Rin and Ruri both said, "Goodnight."

Rin and Ruri then went to their respective beds with the lights off. Ruri was fully asleep but Rin stayed up for a few moments while thinking of Yugo, _"I hope Yugo will be okay without me for now."_

She then got the covers closer to her as she prepared to go to sleep, _"Well, wherever he is, I just hope he isn't doing anything stupid."_ Rin then fell asleep.

* * *

 **Alright, same thing with Ruri, I hope you all enjoyed how I treated Rin as well as again, I wasn't completely sure about her character.** **(And again, I apologize for the delay but I'll be honest when you have days off from college you tend to want to relax more as time goes by so that's my bad.)** **I did have a lot of fun making this duel though especially with the new OC cards though maybe I made Rin a little too powerful with the extra monsters but what can you do. Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Wind Witch - Breeze Bell  
** (LV: 4, Spellcaster, WIND, ATK: 1200, DEF: 1000)  
 _Monster Effect_ : When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can gain 300 life points for every "Wind Witch" monster you control. A "Wind Witch" monster that used this card as Synchro Material gains this effect: ● Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by battle.

 **Wind Witch - Flake Bell  
** (LV: 5, Spellcaster, WIND, Synchro, ATK: 2000, DEF: 1800)  
(1 "Wind Witch" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner WIND monsters)  
 _Monster Effect_ : When this card is Special Summoned, inflict 300 points of damage to your opponent for every "Wind Witch" monster in your Graveyard. If this card is destroyed, you can Special Summon 1 "Wind Witch" monster from your Graveyard, except "Wind Witch - Flake Bell".

 **Aurora Magician  
** (LV: 6, Spellcaster, DARK, ATK: 1900, DEF: 1800, PS: 2)  
 _Pendulum Effect_ : Once per turn, if you would take effect damage, you would gain life points equal to the damage you would have taken instead.  
 _Monster Effect_ : If a Pendulum Monster you control is targeted by an opponent's card effect; you can discard this card, negate that effect. A monster that used this card as Material for a Fusion, Synchro, Ritual, or Xyz Summon, cannot be destroyed by card effects.

 **Blizzard Revenge** (Trap Card): Activate only if a "Wind Witch" monster you control is destroyed; inflict 200 points of damage x the level of the destroyed monster to your opponent. Then you can Special Summon a "Wind Witch" monster from your Graveyard that has a level lower than the one destroyed.

 **Witch Rebirth** (Magic Card): Special Summon 1 "Wind Witch" monster from your Graveyard.

 **Wind Witch - Cloud Bell  
** (LV: 6, Spellcaster, WIND, ATK: 1600, DEF: 1600)  
 _Monster Effect_ : You can Special Summon this card by decreasing the levels of all current "Wind Witch" monsters you control by 2. As long as this card is face on the field, "Wind Witch" monsters you control gain 800 ATK.

 **Resolve Draw** (Magic Card): Draw 1 card for each Special Summoned monster you control.

 **Witch's Wrath** (Quick-Play Magic): Activate only when a "Wind Witch" monster you control battles; inflict damage to your opponent equal to your battling monster's level x 300.

 **Weather Guard** (Trap Card): Activate only if a "Wind Witch" monster you control is attacked by an opponent's monster; negate the attack and then inflict damage to your opponent equal to half of the attacking monster's ATK.

 **Wind Witch - Clear Bell  
** (LV: 5, Spellcaster, WIND, ATK: 0, DEF: 0)  
 _Monster Effect_ : When a "Wind Witch" monster you control is destroyed, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. You don't take battle damage involving "Wind Witch" monsters you control. As long as you control another "Wind Witch" monster, your opponent cannot target this card for attacks.

 **Wind Witch - Storm Bell  
** (LV: 8, Spellcaster, WIND, Synchro, ATK: 2800, DEF: 2200)  
(1 "Wind Witch" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner WIND Synchro monsters)  
 _Monster Effect_ : You can inflict damage to your opponent equal to half of the total amount of original ATK of the materials used to Synchro Summon this card. When this card destroys a monster by battle, it can attack once again in a row. You can only activate each effect of "Wind Witch - Storm Bell" once per turn.

 **Deflect Draw** (Trap Card): Activate only if you would take effect damage during your opponent's turn. Reduce the damage to 0. Draw 1 card.

 **Entermate Ghostly Protector  
** (LV: 2, Fiend, DARK, ATK: 700, DEF: 800)  
 _Monster Effect_ : When an "Entermate" or "Odd-Eyes" monster you control is attacked, you can send this card to the graveyard; both that monster and the attacking monster are switched into defense position.

 **Witch's Blessing** (Equip Magic): Equip it to only a "Wind Witch" Synchro Monster you control; that monster can't be destroyed by battle or by card effects.

 **Entermate Action Rockstar  
** (LV: 7, Fiend, DARK, Synchro, ATK: 2400, DEF: 2300)  
(1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Entermate" monsters)  
 _Monster Effect_ : When this card is Synchro Summoned, you can destroy Magic/Trap cards on the field up to the number of non-Tuner monsters used to Synchro Summon this card. When this card leaves the field: You can destroy all cards in your Pendulum Zones; add "Entermate" Magic/Trap cards from your Deck to your hand up to the number of cards destroyed.

 **Some OCG & Anime effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW** :

 **Imperial Wrath of Treason** \- Yuzu found Sawatari and his henchmen talking about plotting revenge against Yuya; wanting to help Yuya, she stepped in to try to duel him until a mysterious masked boy appeared...

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	7. Imperial Wrath of Treason

**Here's some of my responses to the recent reviews:**

 **Thetiger39- Huh...Well, when you put it like that, I guess it does make a lot of sense. However, through "unfortunate circumstances" Yuzu is not as strong as Yuya yet anyway. So I apologize for that. And keep in mind that there's a lot of things that I don't want to rush too fast and making Yuzu stronger too fast would be one of them. So I ask that you would be patient as the story progresses if you still like to read it.**

 **Mekyaku- Well, thanks for the comments. :) I will say that those questions will be answered as time goes by especially with Mikleo's deck. There is a chapter coming soon in the future where I will introduce his deck. Other than that, thanks.**

 **SSJGamerYT- Well thank you for the comments. But I will say this, slow down. My story is just getting started and I'm not sure if I deserve that kind of praise yet. That's all I wanted to say.**

 **Frost190- No worries. As long as you read it, it's fine. But yeah, honestly I couldn't find any other reason for Yuya to duel Rin other than for it to be the same thing with Ruri. Otherwise, thank you for the comments on the chapter. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - Imperial Wrath of Treason**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LDS**

In a alleyway near the LDS building, a dark clad, masked boy with black and purple hair was looking at the LDS building. " _Time to see if LDS has any connection with our enemies,"_ the boy thought to himself before looking at a LDS badge he was holding in his hand.

* * *

 _(Around the same time, inside the LDS building.)_

Sawatari pointed at his monster that had blue and light green armor, "And now I attack Power Darts Shooter with Mobius the Frost Monarch! Ice Lance!" Frost prepared an ice lance and ran it through Power Darts Shooter, destroying it. The damage went straight to Sawatari's dark haired friend.

 **SAWATARI: WIN  
** **KAKIMOTO: LOSE**

The brown haired one, Ootomo, and the green haired one, Yamabe, both had impressed looks on their faces.

Sawatari had a satisfied smirk on his face as he won with his new deck. It was stronger than his old deck which was proven when he beat his friend who was using it.

Kakimoto looked at Sawatari amazed while the other two walked over near him with smiles, "Sawatari, the cards you've got this time are ridiculously strong!"

Sawatari waved his finger at them while smiling, "You've got it wrong, what's ridiculously strong isn't the cards, it's…"

He then snapped his fingers and his friends came over with their hands out toward him, "The incredible and amazing Sawatari!"

Sawatari then had a cocky smirk on his face, "Oh yes! Of course, what's most important is the skill of the duelist, his calculated strategies, his precise decision making, a tough spirit, gifted looks, and the perfect combination of them all is…"

His friends held their hands toward him, "Shingo Sawatari!"

Sawatari nodded, "That's correct, in other words the ones that deserve to win should be a perfect duelist, just like…" His friends once again yelled, "Shingo Sawatari!"

Sawatari then had another smirk on his face as he got an idea, "Actually wait with these new cards, I prefer if you call me Neo Sawatari."

His friends then yelled, "Neo Sawatari!"

Sawatari nodded as he had a thinking smile on his face, "Okay! Okay! Ladies and Gentlemen…"

While Sawatari continued, his friends began to talk while looking at Sawatari with their eyes a little narrowed.

Ootomo spoke in a low voice, "Looks like he actually influenced him a bit…"

Yamabe nodded, "By Yuya Sakaki, right?"

Unfortnately, Sawatari heard them and then had an irritated look on his face while glaring at them, "Don't say that name!" He was then reminded of the humiliating defeat he was given by Yuya especially when he defeated him with Block Spider of all cards.

Sawatari gritted his teeth while he clenched his fist in front of himself and looked down at the floor, "The only reason I lost to him was because of the cards! Just because I wasn't lucky enough to have Pendulum Cards!"

His three friends looked at him shocked, "WHAT?!" Yamabe screamed before Ootomo yelled, "That totally contradicts what you just said!" Kakimoto nodded before yelling also, "And you had the cards first since you tricked Yuya into giving them to you!"

Sawatari then got up, looking very determined, "Well, that doesn't matter now. I'll do whatever it takes to beat him! Yuya Sakaki! You better watch your back from now on."

His thoughts then turned into what Yuya said in their duel, " _Sawatari, I hope you now realize that it doesn't matter what number of points a monster has but it is what you do with the card and its effect. There is no card that is useless as long as you use them right."_

He clenched his fists again after seeing the memory, " _Who does he think he is, lecturing me on how I should use my cards?!"_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Yuya was currently washing his face in the wash room with Sora, Futoshi, and Tatsuya while Yuzu and Rin were holding towels for them to dry. Tatsuya and Sora were already drying off; Sora smiled as he placed a towel around his neck, "After sweating it out in a duel, you got to do this right!"

Yuzu then noticed something, "Hey Yuya, you have a little dirt on the back of your neck, make sure to wash it away."

Yuya smiled, "Oh, thanks Yuzu." He then washed the back of his neck and got rid of the dirt. Yuzu smiled as she handed out a towel for him to dry off.

Rin smiled as she walked over to the others. Rin looked at the two kids, "Now, I hope you boys washed enough."

Tatsuya nodded, "Yes, we did Big Sis Rin." Futoshi agreed, "We washed enough that it gave me the shivers."

Rin didn't look convinced, "Alright but let me check." Rin then looked closely to see if they were completely clean while the kids just sweatdropped a little by how "motherly" she was being.

Yuya and Yuzu chuckled a little at the scene. Ever since Rin came to You Show, she has been watching over the kids to make sure they doing alright in You Show in terms of behavior and appetite. Honestly, both of them thought either Rin was a little overprotective or she's just acting like a mother which is probably most likely the case. Either way, they were happy that Rin decided to stay with Yuzu and You Show for the time being as she being very good at taking care of the young ones.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - DOWNTOWN**

 _(Around a couple hours later)_

Yuya and Ruri were walking around town, looking for something fun to do. Ruri smiled at Yuya, "Thanks for bringing me along Yuya." She then looked curious, "So is there a reason why you wanted to do this?"

Yuya sweatdropped a little as he scratched the right side of his face in slight nervousness, "Uh, no reason. I just wanted to hang out and get to know you more Ruri." Ruri smiled and nodded; she then looked around the buildings to see if there was something to do.

Yuya sighed a little, " _I hope I can do this right."_ Yuya recalled what Yuzu asked him to do before she left.

* * *

 _YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL_

 _Flashback (Around a couple hours ago)_

 _Yuya and Yuzu were alone in the computer room while the others were talking to each other. Yuzu looked at Yuya with a semi-pleading look, "Yuya, I need to ask you a favor."_

 _Yuya looked at her curiously, "Sure. What is it, Yuzu?"_

" _While me and Ayu go get some ice cream, I want you to hang out with Ruri."_

 _Yuya looked confused, "Huh? Hang out with Ruri? Don't we already do that?" Yuya was confused as to why Yuzu was asking him that especially they already hang out with her all the time now in You Show._

 _Yuzu shook her head and then looked at him, "No, I mean maybe try to get to her more open with herself by hanging out with her alone."_

 _Yuya blinked in confusion but then pondered, "Does this has something to do with her recent "freakout" during my duel with Sora?"_

 _Yuya was told by Yuzu of the details of what happened with Ruri during his duel with Sora. She was honestly having a sort of panic attack right when Sora Fusion Summoned and this bothered both Yuya and Yuzu. Yuya didn't know what to do but it seems like Yuzu might have an idea._

 _Yuzu looked down at the ground, worried, "Yeah. Ruri honestly doesn't want to tell me what's wrong with her even though I said she could trust me. I know everyone has their secrets but I just can't help that she needs someone to talk to especially since she doesn't have any family with her right now."_

 _Yuzu looked at Yuya, "Since I can't convince her to talk a little bit about it, maybe you can do it."_

 _Yuya still looked a little confused, "Huh? Why me?"_

 _Yuzu then smiled a little, "Because...well you draw people to you Yuya." Since Yuzu has known Yuya since her childhood, she knows the kind of personality Yuya has which allows him to draw people to him and create friendships or bonds, be it antagonistic or a rivalry or something different altogether. Regardless, Yuya can be very nice and charismatic which are some traits that Yuzu loves about him, not that she would admit it yet; thinking that made Yuzu decide maybe Yuya could get Ruri to talk a little more._

 _Yuya looked at Yuzu curiously, "What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _Yuzu shook her head and then smiled even more, "Oh, nothing." She then grabbed his left hand with both of her hands as she continued, "Anyway, I'm sure you can do it Yuya. So will you please?"_

 _Yuya was thinking for a minute before sighing with a nervous smile, "Alright, I'll try Yuzu."_

 _Flashback End._

* * *

Yuya sighed, " _Even though Yuzu asked me to do it, I'm still not sure how I can get her to open up a little more."_

Before Yuya could think any more, he heard a growling sound which stopped both him and Ruri. He turn to Ruri, wondering where that sound came from until he saw Ruri's face.

She turned to Yuya, looking a little embarrassed, "Uh, Sorry. I guess I am a little hungry."

And then, as if on cue, Yuya's stomach growled as well which got him embarrassed for a moment as well. Then they both started laughing at each other's predicaments.

Ruri smiled at Yuya, "What do you say we find something to eat?"

Yuya nodded at her, "Yeah, that would be a good idea."

The both of them then started to look around for a place to eat.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Mikleo and Rin were in a garage that You Show had. Mikleo was studying Rin's duel runner with a lot of curiosity.

Mikleo looked at Rin with an impressed smile, "This duel runner is really interesting Rin. I don't think I've seen technology used like this before." Sure, Mikleo has seen cars and normal motorcycles but this kind of vehicle seemed different in both design and purpose. Since he liked working on machinery, this piece of technology made him immensely curious and wondered how it worked.

Rin smiled back at him, "Thank you, Mikleo." She then walked over to her duel runner, "This runner is part of mine and Yugo's dream."

Mikleo raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And what dream is that?"

Rin looked up at the ceiling with a happy smile, "For me or Yugo...To be the Duel King or Queen of our city."

Mikleo chuckled a little, "Heh. That sounds a little similar to my brother's dream."

Rin looked at Mikleo curiously, "What's Yuya's dream?"

Mikleo smiled a little, "To be a great duelist like our father, surpass him and be the best there ever was while also bring fun to every duel he has." Rin smiled a little after hearing Yuya's dream.

Mikleo then looked a little curious, "But although…" He turned to Rin's duel runner, "Did you say that this runner will help you become Duel Queen?"

Rin nodded, "That's right. Where I'm from, we need runners like these to do Turbo Duels."

Mikleo had an unreadable expression on his face, "Turbo Duels…" He has never heard of that kind of duel before but was immediately intrigued by it. He was studying the runner from all sides, "So this runner also works as a duel disk?"

Rin could see that Mikleo was very intrigued by both her runner and what Turbo Duels are, so she smiled, "Yeah. Turbo Duels allow us to duel while riding on these runners at high speed on the highways and roads." She wonders if Yuya, Yuzu, Ruri and the others would be interested in hearing this as well. She will have to tell them later.

Mikleo gave off a small smile as he continued looking at the runner, "Interesting." Mikleo looked at Rin, impressed again, "And you said that you built this?"

Rin gave off an embarrassed smile as she rubbed the back of her neck, "Well, Yugo helped me out as well, but yeah we both built duel runners for the both of us once we figured it out." Both she and Yugo went through a lot of hardships to try to built a working duel runner and after many years, they managed to do it. That runner then became Yugo's runner and soon after, they built Rin's runner as well. It was exhausting but it was well worth it in the end.

Mikleo looked back at the runner and hummed in thought, " _I wonder…"_ He was honestly very curious about how Turbo Duels were played. He then got an idea and looked back at Rin, "Say Rin…"

Rin blinked in confusion, "Hm?"

Mikleo looked at Rin curiously, "Do you happen to have any blueprints or schematics of how you built this?"

Rin's eyes widened a little in surprise, "Huh? Uh…" She then had a disappointed look on her face, "Sorry I didn't bring any with me when I came here."

Mikleo then had one of his hand to his mouth in a thinking expression. He looked at the runner for a second before turning to Rin again, "Then do you mind if I take a closer look at the parts you used to build it?"

Rin was surprised, "You mean actually take it apart to look at the overall design?" Why would Mikleo want to do that?

Mikleo had his hand on the frame as he smiled, "Yeah. Do you mind?" He honestly really wanted to look at the parts used for this vehicle.

Rin was pondering, "Uh…" Rin doesn't know if she would be okay with it or not. After all, both and Yugo worked very hard on this runner and there's a chance that maybe something could go wrong if Mikleo tries to look at the parts from the inside. Sure, Rin could probably fix it again but she wasn't completely sure. However, she did trust Yuya and his brother so she made her decision.

Rin then looked at Mikleo with a semi-pleading smile, "Sure. You can look at the parts just be careful with my runner."

Mikleo nodded, "Don't worry, I promise I won't ruin your runner. I just want to look at the design from the inside." He then opened the front of the runner to look at the engine and parts as he took a wrench out from his toolbox.

Rin was curious, "Why do you want to look anyway?"

Mikleo then stopped and turned to face Rin with a smirk, "Because I think I actually want to build one of these."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - DOWNTOWN**

Both Yuya and Ruri were sitting at a table outside eating food. They were talking about the stuff that has happened to them over the past few days.

Ruri looked at Yuya curiously, "You know Yuya, I'm curious. How did you end up with these Pendulum Cards anyway?"

Yuya's eyes widened a little in surprise before looking at Ruri, "Well...I don't really know what to say. One day, I just ended up with them during a duel." Like Yuzu, Yuya didn't want to lie to Ruri either but he really didn't know how to explain the situation without sounded a little crazy plus it still doesn't make sense right now.

Ruri nodded in response, "I see."

Yuya then had a question to ask, "Hey Ruri, what is your home like anyway?"

Ruri's eyes widened a little before having a sad smile on her face, "It was a peaceful city full of joy and dueling along with various technology cleaning the streets. There were a lot of people who duel each other for fun and competition." She then looked around the city, "In fact, I think my city might be a little more "colorful" than yours."

From hearing Ruri's description, Yuya's thoughts then turned to the recent dream he had which had a colorful city with a lot of people dueling and robots around the area. He shook his head, " _It can't be...real can it? First Sora, and now what Ruri saying fits the description...No. She could be talking about another city."_ Yuya still wasn't sure about the recent dream he had especially since Sora joined You Show.

He is starting to like Sora a little more as time goes by; he can't help but think there's something weird going on and Sora has some connection to it. Because at times, he would ask Sora where he is from and he always dodged the question. He didn't question any further as either Sora or his other friends will question why he keeps asking. He wanted to talk to his brother about it but he has a feeling he doesn't know what's going either but now he's starting to think he should tell him soon.

At first, he would have brush it off as just a dream but so many things have been happening that doesn't sense that he couldn't help but feel that wasn't _just_ a dream. He just doesn't have answers right now.

Before he could think more, Ruri looked and spoke to him with a semi-worried look on her face, "Yuya, are you okay?"

Yuya raised his head, realizing that he was in thought for a moment, "Oh...yeah. I'm fine."

Unbeknownst to Yuya, while he was thinking, Ruri was also lost in thought for a moment as she was thinking about her situation. She was thinking that maybe she should at least tell some of the truth that she has been hiding to get it off her chest. She does want to keep them safe but she feels really bad for lying to them and she suspects that Yuzu is still a little upset at her for not being honest with her. She can't tell them about the war but maybe she should be honest to them about how she feels whenever she sees Fusion Summoning; she could at least tell them that.

Ruri looked down at the table, "Yuya, did Yuzu tell you anything about what happened the day you met Sora?"

Yuya looked back at her, "If you mean during my duel with Sora, Yuzu did tell me that you had a sort of 'panic attack' when he fusion summoned." He then gave off a concerned look on his face, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Ruri seemed uncomfortable at first but then sighed, "Sure." She then looked at Yuya, "Recently, I've had a lot of people _bully_ me and my friends through Fusion Summoning; it caused us a lot of pain."

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, "Wow. You must have been through a lot lately if you're affected this much."

" _You have no idea."_ thought Ruri with a sad smile.

Yuya narrowed his eyes at the reasoning, " _It can't just be bullying if she's affected this much."_ He then remembered Yuzu saying that Ruri may not be open to what she actually means, so she either may be lying a little or only telling part of the story. If he were pry a little more about it, Ruri may not be open to talk about it a little more so he decided to just comfort her.

Yuya looked at Ruri with a sympathetic smile, "Ruri, you know me, Yuzu, and the others at You Show are here for you. You could have told us this earlier."

Ruri gave off a small smile, "Yeah. I know, it's just that I didn't want you guys to worry about me." Yuya then reached out and grabbed one of her hands with both of his, making Ruri look at Yuya with a surprised look on her face.

Yuya smiled even more with a mixture of determination on his face, "Hey, we're all friends and they help each other. So if you're ever bothered by seeing Fusion Summoning again, we will be there to help you."

Ruri was surprised for a few seconds before smiling sweetly, feeling very happy that she met some very kind people. Ruri got off her chair and gave Yuya a small hug that only lasted for a few seconds; surprising Yuya a little. Ruri released him and got back in her chair, smiling sweetly at Yuya, "Thank you, Yuya. That means a lot to me."

Ruri lowered her eyes a little in minor depression, "Sorry that I can't share all of the details." Ruri knows that Yuya and Yuzu are suspicious that she isn't telling the entire truth so she is apologizing for that as well.

Yuya shrugged his shoulders with a smile on his face, "Hey, if you are not ready to tell us then I'm not going to pressure you."

Ruri nodded in response, "Thank you."

Yuya then got a curious expression on his face, "But I have to ask Ruri, is it just fusion summoning that bothers you?"

Ruri's eyes widened a little in surprised before looking down a little, "Well…Not exactly."

Before Ruri could talk more, Yuya continued with a sheepish smile, "Cause if it was just that, I gotta be honest. That seems kind of...silly."

Ruri then raised her head to look at Yuya in confusion, "Silly?"

Yuya looked back at Ruri, "Ruri, do you hate fusion summoning?"

Ruri looked a little troubled, "Well...it's not that I hate it. It's just…" She didn't hate the summoning method. It just seems that whenever she sees it, there's some malice in those monsters as well such as the ones who destroyed her home. However, seeing Yuya fusion summoning during his duel with Sora did have her doubting that. It still did remind her the pain of losing her home and normal life. She didn't know what to think now when it comes to fusion summoning.

Yuya had a small smile on his face, "Look, I don't what you've been through when it comes to fusion summoning…" He then rubbed the back of his neck, "But to me, it seems like your emotions may be a little...misguided."

Ruri narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Misguided?"

Yuya nodded, "Yeah." He took out his deck and pulled out Blaster Raccoon, which is a Fusion Monster, and placed on the table where Ruri could see it. Yuya smiled, "See because I don't fusion summoning is something to hate or be afraid of. After all, it is a part of dueling." While Ruri was watching and listening in more confusion, Yuya continued, "Mikleo taught me this summoning method and I love it. Just like Synchro and Xyz, Fusion is also something for people to enjoy as well." He took his card and put it back in his deck as he smiled at Ruri, "I guess what I'm trying to say is: whatever " _bullying"_ you went through because of fusion summoning, shouldn't you hate the person who used fusion summoning the wrong way instead of the summoning method itself?"

Ruri's eyes widened a little by what Yuya was trying to say. He's basically saying that the people using Fusion are the ones at fault for using it for bad ways instead of the method itself. There's also some people here in Standard who do fusion summoning and don't use it for destruction, people like Yuya.

Now, Ruri is a little conflicted. What Yuya is saying does make sense; however, she can't forget the pain she went through during the attack on her home from Academia. She doesn't hate the summoning method but it is hard to just get over the pain just like that.

Ruri looked at Yuya hesitantly, "I'll...I'll think about it." Ruri can't just like fusion summoning just like that. She first has to get over the pain first and then maybe decide if Yuya is right about the summoning method.

Yuya nodded in satisfaction, "Good." He then got off his chair and looked back at her, "Well, I'd say we go back to You Show. How about you?"

Ruri then smiled a little and nodded, "Sure." She then got off as well and walked with Yuya back to You Show.

* * *

However, after a few minutes, as they were walking they both heard something, "We don't want to duel you guys! Stop it!" "Yeah! Leave us alone!"

Yuya's eyes widened a little at the sound, "What was that?"

Ruri looked in the direction of the sound and pointed, "It sounded like it came from over there!" They both ran in the direction of the voice.

They stopped into an alleyway nearby and saw some people in that area. There were five guys around their age along with two kids in front of them as well. Two of the teenagers were thin and both were wearing punk clothes in different clothing; one had blue eyes and black hair, another had hazel eyes and green hair. Another two were people Yuya saw before when he met Chihaya while still wearing the same clothes as before. The last one, who looked like the leader of the group, was about as large as Gongenzaka , albeit a little smaller, while wearing a red and black jacket, a red flat cap hat, brown shorts, and brown sneakers, and had brown eyes and dark orange hair and eyebrows. All of them were looking menacingly at the two kids in front of them with mocking smiles on their faces.

Meanwhile, the two kids were looking like they were afraid of the five guys staring at them. They were both a boy and girl. The boy had light blue hair with brown glasses and blue eyes while wearing similar clothing that Tatsuya wears. The girl was had brown hair and pink eyes while wearing a light orange dress.

The guy with the green hair said, "We told you before. You don't duel, we take your cards!"

The leader then walked over to them, "If you don't want to duel, then we'll just take your cards anyway."

The two kids were a little frozen in fear as they couldn't move as that guy got closer to them. He had his hand reached out to them with a smile on his face but before he could get to them, out of nowhere, Yuya ran toward them and went in between the kids and the leader. He kicked the leader in the stomach which made him step back a bit in surprise.

The leader was surprised and grunted, "What the…?" All of the others looked at Yuya surprised as well while Ruri ran toward where Yuya was.

Yuya looked at them with a neutral look, "Hey! Dueling is supposed to be fun. You gang up on someone, you're not a true duelist."

One of them said, "Wha-What do you say?"

The leader said, "Who do you think you are?"

Two of them, Genjo and Shiba, then saw who it was and were surprised, "Wait...You!" "You're…!"

Yuya smiled at them, "Yuya. Yuya Sakaki." Just then, Ruri walked over next to Yuya while glaring at the bullies lightly. Yuya then noticed Genjo and Shiba, "Wait, you two again?"

The leader looked at the two boys, "Genjo. Shiba. You know this guy?"

Genjo nodded, "Yeah, this is the guy that interfered in our business with Chihaya the other day."

Shiba noticed Ruri near Yuya, "And who is this girl?"

Ruri looked at them, "My name is Ruri."

The guy with blue eyes and black hair, whose name is Daiki, shouted at his friends, "Who cares about who they are?"

The guy with hazel eyes and green hair, whose name is Katsuro, glared at Yuya, "Hm! So you think you're a tough guy?"

The leader, whose name is Bryan, glared at Yuya, "Not a smart guy to get in the way of my duel!" He then reached out his pocket and grabbed his duel disk, "All right, then."

Just as Bryan's other friends were grabbing their duel disks, Bryan looked at Yuya and Ruri, "If you really want to help these kids, then duel…" His friends then joined in, "Us!"

Yuya then had a confident smile on his face as he brought out his duel disk and deck, "No problem, big guy."

Ruri put her hand on Yuya's shoulder, which made him turn towards him, and gave him a reassuring smile, "I'll join with you, Yuya." That made him smile even more as Ruri brought out her duel disk as well.

All five of them smiled, confidently as Daiki spoke, "But this is going to be a handicap match, two versus five."

The little boy looked angry, "Huh? What? But that's not fair!" The little girl shouted, "Duel fairly, you big bullies!"

All five of them readied their duel disks as Katsuro spoke, "Be quiet! This is how it's going to be!"

Genjo smiled, "Finally, we'll get some payback on how you humiliated us last time!"

Shiba smiled as well, "You're going to regret interfering with us for the last time!"

Everyone, except the kids, readied their duel disks and starting the duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **RURI LP: 4000  
** **BRYAN LP: 4000  
** **GENJO LP: 4000  
** **SHIBA LP: 4000  
** **DAIKI LP: 4000  
** **KATSURO LP: 4000**

Yuya said, "I'll go first." He placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn! Draw! I Normal Summon Entermate Skullcrobat Joker ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 100, LV: 4, PS: 8)!" Skullcrobat Joker was summoned to Yuya's side of the field.

"When Skullcrobat Joker is Normal Summoned, I can add 1 "Entermate", "Magician" or "Odd-Eyes" from my Deck to my hand. I choose Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon." Yuya added his ace monster to his hand due to Joker's effect. He looked at his opponents, "I end my turn."

Ruri said, "My turn! Draw!" Ruri looked at her current hand and decided not to do much as it's only the first turn and nobody can attack right now. She grabbed a card from her hand, "I set a card and end my turn."

Bryan smirked, "That's it? I was honestly hoping for something better than that." He drew, "My turn! Draw! I Normal Summon Blood Vorse ( **ATK: 1900** , DEF: 1200, LV: 4)!" Bryan summoned a demonic viking-like monster that had purple, green and black armor with a spiked helmet and was also carrying a double spear in its hands. Bryan looked at Yuya and Ruri, "I end my turn."

Genjo began his turn, "My turn! Draw! I Normal Summon Shadow Knight Daemon ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1600, LV: 4) and end my turn!" Genjo ended his turn after summoning a demonic monster that had blue hair and was wearing skeletal armor; it also had wings and one of its arm was a sword while the other was a claw.

Shiba began his turn, "My turn! Draw! I Normal Summon Jurrac Protops ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 1200, LV: 4) and end my turn!" Shiba summoned a triceratops dinosaur monster that was purple and red; its back was also on fire.

Daiki began his turn, "My turn! Draw! I Normal Summon Alien Shocktrooper ( **ATK: 1900** , DEF: 800, LV: 4) and end my turn!" Daiki summoned an alien monster that had four arms in which two of them were fish hands and also was wearing black armor and a mask while wielding a sword.

Katsuro began his turn, "My turn! Draw! I Normal Summon Battle Footballer (ATK: 1000, **DEF: 2100** , LV: 4) and end my turn!"

All five of them were thinking the same thing: they were confident they could beat these two easily especially since it's five on two so they didn't think it was necessary to do anymore than summon a monster. Unfortunately for them, they're about to realize their mistake as soon as Yuya's turn began.

Yuya could see what they were doing and just smiled in response as they had no idea how wrong they might be. He placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn! Draw!" He looked at his current hand, trying to figure out what to do first when, all of a sudden, his pendulum started glowing for a second.

* * *

 _(Vision)_

Yuya was confused by what was happening, " _What's happening?"_ Just then, he heard a voice, " _Perhaps I can provide some assistance."_ Yuya then saw stars and comets around the area and saw a magician that looked similar to two of his own. The magician reached out a hand to Yuya, who was confused for a second, before smiling and returning his hand out.

Yuya nodded, "I understand. You want to fight as well, right? Then I'll summon you right away."

 _(Vision End)_

* * *

Yuya smiled, knowing what he wanted to do and grabbed two cards, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 5 Wisdom-Eye Magician!" The two magicians went into their respective Pendulum Scales.

Genjo and Shiba sweatdropped in realization when Yuya did that; they had honestly forgotten about this "Pendulum Summon" and think that they might be in trouble.

Yuya pointed, "I activate Wisdom-Eye Magician's Pendulum Effect! By destroying this card, I can place a "Magician" Pendulum Monster from my deck into my Pendulum Zone! I destroy Wisdom-Eye in order to set the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician!" Wisdom-Eye was destroyed and Timegazer was summoned in its place.

Yuya smiled, "And now I can summon monsters with levels between 2 and 7 at the same time!"

The giant pendulum appeared as Yuya chanted, "Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" Four lights appeared from the portal, "Appear! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7, PS: 4), Dragonpulse Magician ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 900, LV: 4, PS: 1), Entermate Fire Mufferlion ( **ATK: 800** , DEF: 800, LV: 3, PS: 5), and from the Extra Deck, Wisdom-Eye Magician ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 1500, LV: 4, PS: 5)!"

Bryan, Daiki, and Katsuro were shocked by what they were seeing while Genjo and Shiba looked nervous as they saw five monsters on Yuya's field.

Yuya smiled even more, while his Extra Deck was glowing, and pointed at his monsters, "I now overlay my Level 4 Dragonpulse Magician and Wisdom-Eye Magician!" Both magicians turned into dark balls of energy and went into a portal while Ruri looked at Yuya's move surprised.

"Spellcaster that oversees the hours of the stars, descend and guide the path to the future! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 4! Timestar Magician ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1200, RNK: 4, OVU: 2)!" Yuya summoned a male magician that looks like the combined form of Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician. He had brown hair like Timegazer, but was wearing clothing like Stargazer's although it was white, blue and black. His left hand was wearing the same weapon as Timegazer while his right hand was carrying the same staff as Stargazer.

Ruri looked at the monster Yuya summoned with amazement, " _Yuya knows how to Xyz Summon?"_ Her thoughts turned to all of the other monsters he summoned which are Blaster Raccoon and Action Rockstar. Ruri wondered, " _That means that Yuya knows all of the summoning methods…"_

Bryan was shocked, "P-Pendulum and Xyz…" The other four were surprised and getting more nervous by the minute. The two kids were watching amazed and in awe by what Yuya just did.

Yuya pointed at Timestar, "I activate Timestar Magician's monster effect. By using an Overlay Unit, I can add one DARK Spellcaster-type monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Timebreaker Magician to my hand." Yuya added another magician to his hand by using Timestar's effect.

 **Timestar Magician** ( **OVU: 2** → **1** )

Yuya grabbed another card in his hand, "I tribute Skullcrobat Joker in order to Tribute Summon Odd-Eyes Swordsman ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1200, LV: 5, PS: 3)!" Joker was released and Odd-Eyes Swordsman was summoned in its place.

Yuya smiled as he placed a card in his duel disk, "From my hand, I activate the Equip Magic: Power of Unity and equip it onto Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Odd-Eyes was surrounded by a fiery aura as Yuya continued, "Now Odd-Eyes gains 800 attack and defense points for every monster I control." Yuya had four monsters on his field which made Odd-Eyes stronger.

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 2500** → **5700** )

Daiki was nervous and worried, "5700 attack points?!" The other four had same expression as Daiki right now.

Yuya smiled, "Battle! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack Shadow Knight Daemon! Spiral Strike Burst!" Odd-Eyes launched its signature fiery blast at Shadow Knight, "Odd-Eyes's effect activates! When this card battles a monster, the damage inflicted to my opponent is doubled! Reaction Force!" Odd-Eyes's blast got stronger as it destroyed Shadow Knight.

Genjo was shocked, "D-Doubled?!" The blast went through his monster and hit Genjo which made him land on his back.

 **GENJO LP: 4000→0**

The other four were surprised at their fallen friend as to how easily he was taken down, "Genjo!"

Yuya looked at them, "I'm not done. I activate Entermate Fire Mufferlion's monster effect. When a Pendulum Monster I control destroys a monster by battle, it gains 200 attack points and can attack once again!"

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 5700** → **5900** )

Yuya pointed at Protops, "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack Jurrac Protops!" Odd-Eyes unleashed his fiery blast at Protops, "Odd-Eyes's effect activates again! Reaction Force!" The blast got stronger and destroyed Protops which made Shiba land on his back as well.

 **SHIBA LP: 4000→0**

"Odd-Eyes Swordsman attack Blood Vorse!" Odd-Eyes Swordsman charged through and slashed Blood Vorse, destroying it.

 **BRYAN LP: 4000→3900**

Yuya pointed at Swordsman, "Odd-Eyes Swordsman's effect activates! When this card destroys a monster by battle, it gains 500 attack points until the End Phase!"

 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2500** )

"Odd-Eyes Swordsman can attack twice during each Battle Phase. Odd-Eyes Swordsman attack Alien Shocktrooper!" Odd-Eyes Swordsman charged through and slashed Alien Shocktrooper, destroying it as well.

 **DAIKI LP: 4000→3400**

"Timestar Magician attack Battle Footballer!" Timestar pointed its staff toward Footballer; a magic circle appeared on the tip of it and unleashed a blue blast at Battle Footballer, destroying it.

Yuya pointed at Daiki, "Fire Mufferlion attack him directly!" Fire Mufferlion unleashed a fiery stream at Daiki, damaging him.

 **DAIKI LP: 3400→2600**

Yuya looked at them, "Since it is the end of the Battle Phase, Fire Mufferlion's effect ends as well."

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 5900** → **5700** )

Yuya smiled, "I end my turn and Odd-Eyes Swordsman's effect ends as well."

 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 2500** → **2000** )

Yuya looked at Ruri, "I'm leaving the rest to you, Ruri."

Ruri smiled and nodded, "Thanks. I won't let you down, Yuya."

Bryan, Daiki, and Katsuro recovered from the damage they took as Genjo and Shiba were still laying on the floor. Daiki looked shocked, "He took out all our monsters and knocked out Genjo and Shiba easily…" Katsuro looked nervous, "Who is this guy?" Bryan glared at the both of them, "Calm down! We just got wait for our turn to come since I doubt this girl will be able to do much." Even as he said that, he was really trying to keep his confidence intact but it was faltering and was now really worried about what Ruri was about to do.

Ruri placed her fingers on her deck, "My turn! Draw!" Ruri looked at her current hand and then at her three remaining opponents, "You won't get another turn."

All three of them were nervous, "What?"

Ruri picked a card from her hand, "When I have no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Turquoise Warbler ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 100, LV: 1) from my hand!" Warbler was summoned onto Ruri's field.

"When Turquoise Warbler is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my hand or graveyard! I Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow ( **ATK: 0** , DEF: 100, LV: 1)!" Cobalt Sparrow was summoned next to Warbler.

"And when Cobalt Sparrow is Special Summoned, I can add one "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my Deck to my hand." Ruri added another monster to her hand due to Sparrow's effect.

"When I control a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Swallow ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 0, LV: 1)!" Swallow was summoned to Ruri's field, "Since Sapphire Swallow was Special Summoned, I can summon another Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow ( **ATK: 0** )!" Another Cobalt Sparrow appeared next to Swallow.

Ruri grabbed another card from her hand, "And now I Normal Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Sunstone Thrush ( **ATK: 200** , DEF: 100, LV: 1)." Sunstone Thrush appeared, making Ruri have five monsters appear on her field.

Daiki still looked nervous, "She summoned five monsters as well!"

Bryan glared at Daiki, "I said calm down! Besides, they're Level 1 monsters; they can't do us much harm."

Ruri then smiled before grabbing another card, "I activate the Magic Card: Lyrical Gathering! Now all "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters I control have a level equal to a number I declare between 1 and 6! I choose 6!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Turquoise Warbler** ( **LV: 1** → **6** )  
 **Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow** ( **#1** ) ( **LV: 1** → **6** )  
 **Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Swallow** ( **LV: 1** → **6** )  
 **Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow** ( **#2** ) ( **LV: 1** → **6** )  
 **Lyrical Luscinia - Sunstone Thrush** ( **LV: 1** → **6** )

Ruri pointed at her monsters, "I now overlay all five of my Level 6 monsters!" All five of Ruri's monsters turned into balls of energy and went into a portal.

"Flock of birds with magnificent wings! Gather together in order to form a revolutionary force! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 6! Lyrical Luscinia - Army Nightingale ( **ATK: 800** , DEF: 800, RNK: 6, OVU: 5)!" Ruri summoned a female bird monster that was similar to Assembly Nightingale except the dress was a little shorter. She has dark orange, dark blue and purple colors on her headband and dress and it was also wearing white anklets as well. She was also wearing a masquerade mask on her head.

Katsuro was surprised, "She's an Xyz user too?!"

Ruri smiled as she pointed at Army Nightingale, "Army Nightingale gains 400 attack and defense points for every Overlay Unit she has! She has 5 so Army gains 2000 points! And since Sunstone Thrush was used as Xyz Material for a WIND Xyz monster, Army also gains 500 attack points!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Army Nightingale** ( **ATK: 800** → **2800** → **3300,** DEF: 800→2800)

Bryan stepped back a bit in surprise, "3300 attack points?!"

Ruri pointed at them, "Army Nightingale can attack as many times as the number of Overlay Units she has, so she can attack 5 times!" She looked at Yuya for a second who nodded with a smile before turning to her monster, "Battle! Army Nightingale attack all three of them directly! Revolution Storm!" Army Nightingale gathered wind energy in her wings before unleashed five tornadoes at Ruri's opponents, blowing them away and depleting their life points.

 **BRYAN LP: 3900→0  
** **DAIKI LP: 2600→0  
** **KATSURO LP: 4000→0**

 **YUYA & RURI: WIN  
** **BRYAN, GENJO, SHIBA, DAIKI, & KATSURO: LOSE**

All five of them recovered from the blast and looked at Yuya and Ruri with surprised looks; one of them said, "These two are on a completely different level! There's no way we could win!"

Bryan grunted before he and his friends ran away while shouting, "I'll remember this!" All five of them were gone in a few seconds leaving only Yuya, Ruri, and the two kids left in the alleyway.

Yuya and Ruri both then had a satisfied smile on their faces as the helped the kids out. The little boy and girl were happy and the boy said, "Thanks, mister and miss." The girl nodded, "Thank you for helping my big brother out."

Ruri smiled sweetly, "Are you kids alright?"

The little boy nodded, "We're fine thanks to you."

Yuya looked at them curiously, "Do you know who those guys were and want they wanted?" This was second time he had encounter those two, Genjo and Shiba, and also the first he's encounter the others as well; he thinks there is something going on with those guys.

The little girl huffed, "Those Duel Hunters are big meanies! Trying to take my big brother's card!"

Yuya and Ruri were confused by the name with Yuya asking, "Duel Hunters? Who are they?"

The little boy frowned a little, "They're a gang of bullies who challenge people for rare cards and take them by force if they need to."

Yuya nodded, "I see." This was honestly the first time he's heard of them so he wondered how long they have been in Maiami City.

The little girl smiled, "But you saved us so thank you."

Yuya and Ruri smiled as they both said, "You're welcome."

The little boy looked at his sister, "Sis, we should really get home."

The little girl nodded, "Okay."

Both kids got up and walked away with them waving at Yuya and Ruri, "Thank you so much!" "I hope we can see you again!" They both were gone in a few seconds.

Yuya and Ruri both continued to smile, thankful that they were able to help out those two children. Yuya was happy, "Well, I'm glad that all worked out."

Ruri nodded in agreement, "Yeah." She then had a realization and looked at Yuya with a curious expression, "By the way Yuya, you know how to Xyz Summon?"

Yuya smiled while looking at Ruri, "Yeah. My brother taught me."

"Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz...You must be really strong then." Ruri thought that it was impressive that Yuya knows all of the summoning methods from the Extra Deck.

Yuya sheepishly smiled, "Well...I don't know about that." Ruri giggled a little from Yuya's embarrassment and modesty.

Yuya then smiled normally as he looked at Ruri, "Now then, what do you say we go back to You Show?"

Ruri nodded, "Yeah, let's go back."

Yuya and Ruri then continued where they left off and went back in the direction of You Show.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (NEARBY) BRIDGE**

Yuzu and Ayu were walking next to a river while Yuzu was carrying a bag after having been at a supermarket. She sighed, "Jeez, if they wanted ice cream so much then they should get it themselves!"

Ayu smiled, "But while complaining about it you still went and bought a lot of it for them, you're so nice Big Sis Yuzu." Yuzu looked at her and smiled sheepishly before gasping a little as she saw something.

Ayu looked at her confused, "What's wrong Big Sis Yuzu?" Yuzu bent down next to her and shushed at her, she looked up at the road above and Ayu followed her gaze; they saw two of Sawatari's friends walking on the road above them while they carried plastic bags and a lunch box.

Ootomo looked at Yamabe with a smirk, "Sawatari sure is going all out isn't he, saying things like "I'll do whatever it takes to crush Yuya Sakaki." It's sure like he's planning on using his dirty tactics again huh?"

Yamabe nodded with a smirk, "Yeah, it sure sounds like he's going to attacking his weak spots to make him lose focus on the duel."

Yuzu and Ayu gasped in shock as they heard what those two were saying. They then heard Ootomo speaking, "Oh man, we'd be hurry. After all, he gets more selfish when he gets hungry." Yamabe nodded and both of them began to run to get to Sawatari faster.

Yuzu stood up with an angry expression on her face, "Sawatari, you damn coward..!" She then began to run in order to follow them with a worried and scared Ayu following Yuzu as well.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN ABANDONED WAREHOUSE**

( _Meanwhile…_ )

"So you got your asses kicked and then come crawling back here like _little babies!_ " Someone then kicked a barrel which rolled over to the five boys at the entrance of the warehouse. Those boys were Bryan, Genjo, Shiba, Daiki and Katsuro who all looked a little frightened by the display of anger by their leader.

Bryan looked nervous, "I-I'm sorry, Kylian. But the guys we fought were so strong!"

The leader of the Duel Hunters was sitting on a crate in the back of the warehouse. He was a boy around Yuya's age and had hazel eyes and dark blue hair that spikes high above his head. He had canine teeth that was somewhat sticking out of his mouth sometimes. He also appeared a little muscular as he also wearing a gray coat with a dark blue shirt underneath and the sleeves of the coat were ripped out as well. He also wore brown pants and boots. There were also a few more people inside the warehouse as well who were other members of the group.

Daiki spoke, "But if you faced them Kylian…"

Shiba agreed, "Yeah. You can crush them with your deck."

Kylian looked at them with an amused expression and hummed in thought. He had rather not duel opponents that just either turn out to be a little better than his members or they were just plain lucky. But then again, it has been a while since he dueled and he has been wanting to fight a worthy opponent.

Kylian narrowed his eyes at them with a smirk on his face, "Tell me, who were the duelists that defeated you?"

Bryan looked at Kylian with a thoughtful expression as he had a hand to his chin, "Well, uh, there were two of them. One of them was a guy named Yuya Sakaki and another was a girl named Ruri."

Kylian narrowed his eyes even more, "And what did they do to beat you?"

"Well, this Ruri girl used Xyz Summoning to finish off three of us…"

Kylian interrupted him, "Not interested." He had faced Xyz opponents before so it wasn't something new.

Bryan then got a hasty expression on his face, "But...this Yuya guy also had something called "Pendulum Summoning" which was too powerful!"

Kylian raised an eyebrow, "Pendulum?" He had never heard of this summoning method before.

Bryan nodded, "Yeah. It was so crazy! He had summoned multiple monsters at once and some of them were at a high level as well!"

Kylian was now interested in this Yuya person especially since he apparently has a new summoning method he has never heard of before. He looked at his deck with a neutral expression before making his decision.

Kylian smirked at his members, "Okay, fine. You got me interested."

All of the members then began to cheer for their leader, confident and happy that he's now willing to crush their opponents.

Kylian smirked even more, "Tell you what, you either bring me this _Yuya Sakaki_ or, better yet, tell me if you see him dueling so I can see what this guy is all about." He brought out his deck with a confident smile, "After all, I have to actually see if this guy is worth my time."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR**

The same masked boy that was watching the LDS building was now on top of one of the warehouses' roofs, watching the building again.

Yamabe and Ootomo opened the door to one of the warehouses at the docks, "We're sorry we're late Sawatari."

Sawatari was sitting on a couch with a table in front of him and on the other side another couch where Kakimoto was sitting on. Sawatari looked irritated, "You two are late!"

Both of them bowed to him, "We're sorry." Yamabe came over to him, "We got you your Sweet Milk Apple Berry Pie with Honey!"

At the same time, Yuzu and Ayu were standing behind a few boxes outside the warehouse while Yuzu looked toward the doors with narrowed eyes. Ayu looked at her troubled, "Big Sis Yuzu, shouldn't we let Big Bro Yuya know what they're planning to do?"

Yuzu looked at the door, " _Yuya dueled Sawatari after basically having to protect me and the others before Mikleo showed up. Now it's my turn to protect Yuya!"_

Yuzu then handed her bag to Ayu who took it with a confused expression on her face, "Ayu, you head back to You Show first without me!" Ayu looked at her as her eyes widened, "B-but Big Sis Yuzu…"

However, Yuzu had already ran out from behind the boxes and went toward the doors of the warehouse. At the same time, the masked boy heard someone running in his direction.

He turned around and saw a girl, who was Yuzu, run toward the doors of one of the warehouses. His eyes widened behind his goggles as he saw the girl's face, "Is that...Ruri?! Why is she here?! _How_ is she here?!"

He then kneeled down and got a closer look at the girl to see if he wasn't mistaken. He saw that the girl did have Ruri's face but this girl had pink hair and pigtails. The masked boy, Yuto, remembered that Ruri had long purple hair so this girl can't be Ruri. He had his eyes narrowed in confusion, "If she's not Ruri, then why does she…?" How is it that this girl has the same face as his friend? If that's the case, who is she then? He decided to wait and watch to see what's going on before jumping to conclusions as he saw the girl grabbing the handle of the door.

At the same time, Sawatari was about to take the first bite of his pie when heard the door to the warehouse open roughly. He coughed as the piece he had just bitten got stuck in his throat; Ootomo gave him a bottle of water to wash it down while the others looked at Yuzu who stood at the entrance, "You coward!"

Yuzu walked into the warehouse with an angry expression on her face, "'I'm gonna do whatever it takes to defeat Yuya' you said? I will never let you!"

Sawatari, who coughed and gasped for air with the pie still in his hand, looked at her, "Yuzu Hiragi?! Why are you here?!"

Yuzu glared at him, "I don't have to explain that to you Sawatari, also you have some pie crumbs on the corner of your mouth." Sawatari looked shocked when he heard that and then quickly brushed them off with a handkerchief given by Ootomo.

He then stood up with a smile on his face and tossing the handkerchief into the air before it fell into the ground, "Well, well Yuzu Hiragi, it looks like you have fallen into our…"

However, Yuzu interrupted him as she pointed at him, "Duel me, Sawatari."

Sawatari looked shocked and frustrated but he soon continued his speech, "And beca-"

However, she interrupted him again, "I'm going to beat the crap out of you!"

Sawatari got even more frustrated that Yuzu wasn't listening to him but he continued, "The goddess of victory is-"

However, Yuzu interrupted him once again, "What's wrong? Are you afraid you'll lose to me?"

Sawatari had finally had enough of being interrupted and yelled, "Let me finish my speech!"

Yuzu pointed at Sawatari, "I don't plan on listening to you! You coward, sore-loser, second rate duelist!"

Sawatari's eyes narrowed as he heard that last part, "Did you just call me a second rate duelist?"

Yuzu shook her head as she glared at him, "No, you're even below that! Third! Fourth...no in fact you're a hundred rate duelist!"

Sawatari gritted his teeth as he began to tremble with anger while glaring at Yuzu, "Now you have done it…"

Kakimoto then walked over to the door and closed it while Yuzu looked at him surprised, "With what you just said…" She looked back at Sawatari who continued to glare at her as he walked so he stood right across from her, "You have to pay; however, I'm feeling generous so if you feel like taking back what you said, now's your chance."

Yuzu glared at him, "Well too bad for you because I don't feel like taking it back at all, you cowardly, sore-loser, hundred rate duelist!"

Sawatari gritted his teeth as he took out his duel disk, "That arrogant attitude of yours…" He then placed his duel disk on his arm while glaring at Yuzu, "I'm going to make you regret not knowing your place!"

However, they then heard Kakimoto screaming as the door to the warehouse was open. Yuzu looked behind her and saw how Kakimoto was sent flying to the ground. She and the others looked at the open door and saw that there was a dark clad masked person with a cape standing there with black and purple hair.

The masked person then walked into the warehouse and Sawatari looked at him while Ootomo and Yamabe came over next to him, "And just who are you?"

The masked person didn't answer as he walked past Yuzu, "Stay back."

Yuzu looked at him confused especially since she heard that he used a protective tone when he said that, "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

The masked person didn't answer her as he looked at Sawatari and saw the LDS badge on the collar of his uniform while his eyes narrowed a little behind the goggles.

Sawatari looked at the masked person while Kakimoto ran over to them, "Just showing up all of a sudden, are you supposed to be a knight that comes to save the princess?"

The masked person moved his arm from under his cape and held it out with his purple duel disk activated.

Sawatari looked at him, "That's an odd duel disk you there, so I take it you don't intend to answer my questions then?"

Yuzu looked at the masked person irritated, "Hold on a second, this is my fight! What do you think you doing just butting in like this?" She held up her arm to place her duel disk on it.

However, the masked person placed his hand on her arm in order to stop her. Yuzu looked at him confused, wondering what he was doing. The masked person looked at her and she could one of his eyes through his goggles, "I don't want you to get hurt…"

He had heard mostly everything that happened in this warehouse before he entered. Apparently, this girl's name was Yuzu, not Ruri, and her voice sounded different from his friend so there goes a small glimmer of hope he had. However, while he was confused as to why this girl has the same face as Ruri, if LDS was indeed connected to their enemies then this girl doesn't need to get involved in their conflict. He might not know this Yuzu but he doesn't want any innocent people getting hurt so he decided to step in.

Yuzu looked at him shocked and confused over hearing the sincere worry this mysterious person had for her, "Huh?"

Sawatari held his hand with a smirk, "Well aren't you a cool guy? But you should leave it at that, Knight-kun. You'll just embarrass yourself." The masked person just looked at him without saying a word.

Sawatari had a smirk on his face as he pointed at the masked person, "This'll be a perfect chance to test out my new deck." He then activated his duel disk, "I'll crush you!"

Both duelists were staring each other as they drew their cards and began their duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **? LP: 4000  
** **SAWATARI LP: 4000**

The masked duelist looked at Sawatari, "I'll go first! Draw!"

He drew his card as Sawatari looked at with a confident smirk on his face, "Go ahead, Knight-kun."

The masked duelist grabbed five cards in his hand, "I set five cards from my hand, face-down!" Five cards appeared face down in front of the masked duelist before disappearing, shocking both Yuzu and Sawatari.

The masked duelist grabbed the last card in his hand, "And next I summon Phantom Knights Silent Boots (ATK: 200, **DEF: 1200** , LV: 3)!" The masked person summoned a dark clad monster with a ghostly face and that only had legs with brown boots.

"I end my turn."

Sawatari then laughed, "Come on now, you came in here acting all cool and that's all you can do? I feel sorry for you, you don't _got it_ right?"

The masked duelist looked at Sawatari, "Didn't you hear me? I ended my turn."

Sawatari looked at him confused, "Huh?" He was confused over how calm the masked duelist was despite not appearing to be able to do much.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

The boys were waiting in the sitting room for Yuzu and Ayu to come back with the ice cream while Ruri and Rin were sitting on a couch and Yuya was looking at the ground, wondering what was taking them so long.

Yuya was a little worried, " _They've been gone for so long. I hope nothing has happened to them."_

He then heard Ayu's voice, "Big Bro Yuya!" He turned around and saw Ayu running towards him. However, she tripped and was about to fall so Yuya quickly moved towards her worried, "Ayu, look out!"

He caught her before she could fall to the floor and Futoshi caught the plastic bag she had lost her grip on when she tripped and it flew into the air.

Ruri and Rin came over to Yuya and Ayu with the both of them looking worried. Yuya looked at Ayu who was catching her breath, "Are you okay, Ayu?"

Ayu looked like she was about to cry, "Big Bro Yuya!"

Futoshi and Sora looked in the bag disappointed, "The ice cream is melted!" "What a waste…"

Yuya looked at Ayu, having a bad feeling since he saw tears gathering in her eyes, "Ayu, what's wrong? Did something happened to Yuzu?"

Ayu started to sob as tears started to run down her cheek, "Big Sis Yuzu...Big Sis Yuzu is in danger!"

Ruri gasped a little while Rin's eyes widened in concern, "What?"

Yuya grabbed Ayu's shoulders and looked at her in the eyes, "Ayu, calm down. Tell us what happened."

Ayu explained what had happened after they had gotten the ice cream, how Yuzu got mad and went after Sawatari; she was asked to run back You Show without Yuzu.

Yuya immediately got worried as he remembered how Sawatari tried to take Yuzu and the others hostage during their duel until Mikleo saved them. Even if Yuzu beats Sawatari, his friends might still take her hostage just to lure him.

Yuya stood up and looked at Ayu, "Don't worry, Ayu. I'm gonna make sure nothing bad happens to her." He then ran out of the sitting room and then You Show altogether towards the harbor while Ruri running after him, "I'm coming too!" Rin decided to stay behind a little bit in order to try to comfort and calm down Ayu before joining them in a few minutes.

Yuya was running as fast as he can with Ruri in tow. He thought to himself, " _Just hang on Yuzu, I'm coming. I'm not gonna let them do anything to you."_ He had hoped he would make it in time.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR**

The duel continued as Sawatari placed his fingers on his deck, "I'm gonna show you my perfect dueling. My turn, draw!" He then looked at the masked duelist with a smirk, "Allow me to use those set cards of yours."

Sawatari held up a card, "If there are two or more cards in my opponent's Magic or Trap Zone, I can Special Summon this card from my hand! Come forth, Escher the Frost Vassal ( **ATK: 800** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4)!" A monster with blue and green armor with a red cape appeared on the field while sitting on a block of ice.

Sawatari grabbed another card from his hand, "Next, by summoning a Vassal Token (ATK: 800, **DEF: 1000** , LV: 1) to my opponent's field, I can Special Summon Mithra the Thunder Vassal ( **ATK: 800** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4) from my hand!" Sawatari summoned a monster that was purple and wearing gray armor over its chest with a yellow cape. Its legs were also static as they released some electricity. Meanwhile, on the masked duelist's field, a smaller version of Mithra appeared on his side of the field.

Sawatari held up his hand, "I now tribute Escher in order to Tribute Summon Mobius the Frost Monarch ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1000, LV: 6)!" Escher was released and a larger monster similar to Escher appeared on the field.

Kakimoto threw his fist in the air with excitement, "Alright! In an instant, he summoned a 2400 ATK monster!"

Sawatari held out his hand towards the masked duelist's face downs, "Mobius's effect activates! When this card is successfully Tribute Summoned, I can choose two Magic or Trap Cards on the field and destroy them! Freeze Burst!" Mobius gathered cold energy in his hands before releasing a blizzard towards the masked duelist's set cards. Two of them flipped face up and were revealed to be both a Magic and Trap Card before being destroyed, causing Yuzu to gasp in worry.

Sawatari had another card in his hand as he smirked, "I'm not done yet. I now activate the Magic Card: Double Summon which allows me to Normal Summon again this turn!"

Sawatari smiled, "I tribute Mithra in order to Tribute Summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1000, LV: 5)!" Mithra was released and a monster in white and green armor appeared on the field which also had a conductor ring on its back.

Sawatari smirked even more, "Zaborg's effect activates! When this card is successfully Tribute Summoned, I can choose one monster on the field and destroy it! Say goodbye to your Silent Boots!" Zaborg gathered electricity in his hands before unleashing electrical blast at Silent Boots, destroying it. The masked duelist still seemed unfazed as this happened.

Sawatari held up another card, "I now activate the Magic Card: Sacrifice Draw which allows me to draw 3 cards in exchange for paying 1000 life points!" Sawatari drew three cards while his life depleted.

 **SAWATARI LP: 4000** → **3000**

Sawatari looked at the cards he drew and then had a confident smirk on his face, "Looks like the Goddess of Victory is on my side. I activate the Magic Card: Advance Carnival from my hand! This allows me to Tribute Summon again after already Tribute Summoning once succeedly!"

Yuzu looked surprised when she heard that, "He's going to release a 2400 ATK monster in order to Tribute Summon again?"

Sawatari smirked again, "That's right! I release Mobius the Frost Monarch in order Tribute Summon Mobius the Mega Monarch ( **ATK: 2800** , DEF: 1000, LV: 8)!" Mobius disappeared and a larger version of the monster appeared in its place only it had a ring on its back, two large spikes each on his shoulders, arms, and knees and had a large spike in its helmet.

Sawatari smiled at the masked duelist, "Normally, this would require releasing two monsters but if it was a monster that was successfully Tribute Summoned, I can release it and it would count as two monsters! This is the power of Mobius the Mega Monarch!"

Kakimoto, Ootomo, and Yamabe all yelled, "So cool!"

Sawatari then held out his hand, "And now Mobius the Mega Monarch's effect activates! When this card is successfully Tribute Summoned, I can choose three Magic or Trap Cards on the field and destroy them!" Freezing winds then began to gather around Mobius's arms.

Kakimoto chuckled, "Hey Knight-kun, how about using those cards before they get destroyed!"

Sawatari had a smirk on his point, "I'd be pointless! When Mobius the Mega Monarch is Tribute Summoned using a WATER-type monster, it prevents the targeted cards from being activated! Freeze and shatter, Blizzard Destruction!" Mobius unleashed a blizzard which made the masked duelist's remaining set cards flip face up. They were two Trap Cards and one Magic Card before getting destroyed.

Yuzu held up her arms to shield her face from the cold winds. However, when she lowered them she looked confused, "Huh? How come I can feel the wind even this isn't an Action Field?"

Sawatari looked at the masked duelist while chuckling, "With this, all of your set cards have been destroyed, you have no cards in your hand, and the only monster on your is a Vassal Token. After that cool entrance, this is pretty pathetic."

Yuzu looked at the masked duelist troubled, "Hey come on, get it together already! If this is all you can do, then it would be better if you'd let me-"

However, she got quiet when she saw the look he gave her. It was not the look of someone giving up. She didn't understand, if he was in a bad situation, how could he remain so calm?

Sawatari looked at the masked duelist, "Now then, my gloomy Knight-kun. I'm sorry for the rude awakening but I'd appreciate it if you stepped down from the stage." The masked duelist looked back at him, unconcerned about the current situation.

Sawatari pointed at the masked duelist, "Battle! Zaborg the Thunder Monarch attack that Vassal Token!" Zaborg charged up and unleashed lightning from his hands; it hit the Vassal Token and destroyed it, leaving the masked duelist's field empty.

"I make a direct attack with Mobius the Mega Monarch!" The spikes on Mobius grew longer as they turned into ice spikes while frosty winds form inside the warehouse.

Yuzu looked worried, if the attack connected the masked duelist would lose 2800 life points.

However, unfazed, the masked duelist only held up his hand and pointed forward at Sawatari, "I activate the Trap Card: Phantom Knights Shadow Veil from my Graveyard!"

Sawatari's friends looked shocked while Ootomo yelled, "From the Graveyard?!" Yamabe also shouted, "A Trap Card?!"

Sawatari was just as shocked as his friends, "You're going to activate a Trap Card from your Graveyard?! How?!"

Three identical cards appeared from the masked duelist's duel disk and he held them up, "When my opponent's monster declares a direct attack, I can Special Summon as many as these cards as monsters as possible!" He placed all three cards on his duel disk. Three knights with ghostly faces appeared on the field and they were all riding horses while carrying swords. The horses' tails and manes were made of blue flames as was the knights' hair.

 **Phantom Knights Shadow Veil** ( **#1** ) (ATK: 0, **DEF: 300** , LV: 4)  
 **Phantom Knights Shadow Veil** ( **#2** ) (ATK: 0, **DEF: 300** , LV: 4)  
 **Phantom Knights Shadow Veil** ( **#3** ) (ATK: 0, **DEF: 300** , LV: 4)

"When these cards are sent to the Graveyard after activating this effect, they are banished instead!"

Sawatari's friends looked shocked after seeing what the masked duelist just did as Yamabe spoke, "He got three monsters on his field in an instant!"

Yuzu looked at the masked duelist, "You set those cards intending to use their effects to Special Summon them then?"

Sawatari didn't look troubled, "Hmph, in the end they're just three monsters you summoned for defense. I'll destroy them!" He pointed at Mobius, "Mobius attack one of the Shadow Veils! Imperial Charge!" Mobius charged towards the first Shadow Veil and pierced through it, destroying it.

The masked duelist placed the destroyed Shadow Veil in his pocket, "When destroyed, Shadow Veil is banished instead of going to the Graveyard."

Sawatari had a mocking look on his face, "Looks like you just barely saved yourself this time. I set a card and end my turn!" A set card appeared and disappeared in front of Sawatari.

Sawatari looked at the masked duelist with a smirk, "I guess I'll let you live one more turn."

Kakimoto held up his fist, "Neo Sawatari is the best!"

The masked duelist just looked at Sawatari, "There will no next turn for you!"

Sawatari narrowed his eyes, "What?"

The masked duelist placed his fingers on his duel disk, "My turn, draw!" He drew his next card and placed it in his hand.

He then looked at Sawatari, "I thought you'd put up more of a fight but...Your dueling...I don't feel the sharpness of a blade or the power of a bullet in it. Not even a _fragment_ of it."

Sawatari looked at the masked duelist with his eyes narrowed a little, "What was that?" He didn't like how this guy was looking down on his dueling skills.

Kakimoto was laughing when he heard what the masked duelist just said. Yamabe looked at the masked duelist with a smirk, "What kind of nonsense is this guy saying?" Ootomo looked at him with a smirk as well, "Cut it with the jokes!"

The masked duelist didn't seem bothered by their comments, "All of the conditions have been met. When there are two monsters with the same level on my field, my deck's true power can reveal itself!"

Yuzu looked at the masked duelist surprised and confused by what he was saying. She narrowed her eyes, " _Monsters with the same level…"_ She remembered something about a summoning method requiring something like that as her eyes widened, " _Could it be…?"_

The masked duelist held out his right hand, "I overlay my two Level 4 Shadow Veils!" Both monsters turned into dark energy and went into a portal.

Sawatari looked shocked, "It can't be-?!"

Yuzu was surprised as well, "That's…!"

The masked duelist began his chant, "Formed from the pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose its treacherous fangs! Descend, now! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2000, RNK: 4, OVU: 2)!" A black and purple dragon appeared on the field with long blades on his arms that were a little above his hands. It had large wings and a sharp spike on his chin.

Yuzu looked at the dragon amazed, "Xyz Summon…" She knew that this another summoning method from the Extra Deck but it was the first time she had seen it. Also, for some reason, she's getting a weird feeling from seeing this dragon but she has no idea what it is or why.

Yamabe looked at the monster shocked, "Woah, he summoned a monster from his Extra Deck?"

Kakimoto was just as shocked as Yamabe, "He was an Xyz user all along?!"

Ootomo looked at the dragon with a troubled look on his face, "Seriously?! Xyz Summoning is a course only the top elite of LDS are allowed to take!"

The masked duelist looked at Sawatari who was clapping his hands, "I'll admit I was surprised to find out that you're an Xyz user. But are you really planning on battling my Mobius with that monster? Dark Rebellion only has 2500 ATK and Mobius has 2800 ATK!"

Yuzu looked at the masked duelist a little concerned but remembered that the dragon might have an effect that could turn the tables so now she wondered what he was about to do.

Sawatari, who was not aware of the true abilities of Xyz Monsters, had a calm smile on his face, "It seems your Xyz Summoning turned out to be just a bluff!"

"Xyz Monster's true power is to use their souls, their Overlay Units, to annihilate their foes," the masked duelist explained to Sawatari.

Sawatari held out his hand with an uninterested look, "Enough with your Xyz lessons, I'm not interested!"

The masked duelist looked at him, "Then I shall have you bear witness to that power!" He then held out his hand, "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect activates!" One of the overlay units disappeared as he continued, "Twice per turn, by using an overlay unit, it can lower the ATK of one monster my opponent controls by half and Dark Rebellion's ATK increase by that same amount until the end of the turn! Treason Discharge!" Sawatari could only watch in shock as Dark Rebellion charged up purple electricity and unleashing it on Mobius, decreasing its strength while also powering up Dark Rebellion.

 **Mobius the Mega Monarch** ( **ATK: 2800** → **1400** )  
 **Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon** ( **OVU: 2** → **1** ) ( **ATK: 2500** → **3900** )

Kakimoto looked shocked when he heard this, "Dark Rebellion's ATK is-!"

Yuzu finished his sentence, "Is over Mobius's!"

Sawatari has a look of utter shock and disbelief on his face, "No way!"

The masked duelist held out his hand, "Battle! I attack Mobius the Mega Monarch with Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Revolt of Lightning Disobey!" Blue energy began to appear in the gaps of Dark Rebellion's wings before the dragon charged forward towards Mobius. The spike on its chin began to glow blue as it rammed it straight into Mobius, destroying it.

 **SAWATARI LP: 3000** → **500**

The shockwaves of the attack sent Sawatari flying while he screamed. Yuzu covered her face as she tried to protect herself from the shockwaves. The masked duelist ran over to her and stood in front of her to shield her, and then a rock hit his goggles and cracked the glass covering the left eye a little.

The shockwaves hit the warehouse like an explosion, destroying everything inside of it. Sawatari was slowly picking himself up off the floor.

Ootomo, who was sitting on the ground, looked really scared now, "What the hell is this?! It's not an Action Field but we felt that impact…!"

Kakimoto looked scared as well, "That guy's monster's power was what sent us flying?!"

Yamabe looked at Dark Rebellion with fear in his eyes, "This is bad!"

The masked duelist, who moved his goggles off his eyes, walked closer toward Sawatari, who was on his knees, and looked at him, "I will only ask you once, you will answer me properly!"

He held up an LDS badge he had, "This is the badge that belongs to LDS, correct? What's your connection to Academia?"

Sawatari looked confused, "A-Academia?!" He held up his hand confused, "What're you talking about?"

The masked duelist narrowed his eyes at him, "Don't play dumb!"

Sawatari stood up and looked at the masked duelist, "I mean it! Anyone who's enrolled in LDS has a badge like that! I don't know anything about this Academia or whatever! I swear!"

The masked duelist looked at him, "Then I have no business with you." He then turned around and began to walk away.

Sawatari then had a smirk on his face as he fully stood up, "Idiot! The duel isn't over yet! I activate the Trap Card: Ice Rage Shot!" He activated his Trap as the masked duelist continued walking.

"This card can be activated when a WATER-type monster on my field is destroyed by battle. It destroys one of my opponent's monsters and deals damage to them equal to it's ATK!" The masked duelist stopped walking as the others were shocked by Sawatari's move.

Sawatari pointed at Dark Rebellion, "I'll destroy your Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and deal you 3900 points of damage!" He then started laughing, "I planned for this from the beginning and now my victory is assured!"

The masked duelist, with his back still turned, spoke, "Such cheap tactics...it's child's play honestly."

Sawatari looked at him shocked, "Say what?!"

The masked duelist held up his hand, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Phantom Knights' Spear from my Graveyard! If a DARK monster I control would be destroyed, I can banish this card to negate that destruction!" A spear appeared and went through Sawatari's Trap, destroying it. Sawatari looked shocked as the masked duelist was finished, "Since Dark Rebellion wasn't destroyed, your Trap Card can't deal damage to me therefore the effect is negated."

Sawatari looked really nervous as his plan to win the duel failed. The masked duelist spoke again, "I tried to end it peacefully but you let me no choice."

The masked duelist turned around and pointed at Dark Rebellion, "Dark Rebellion gains an additional attack for every Overlay Unit it has so it can attack again!"

Sawatari looked really since he only had 500 life points left, "Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Waiwaiwai-!"

The masked duelist pointed at Dark Rebellion again, "Experience this with you own flesh! The pain and sorrow of the battlefield! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon attack Zaborg the Thunder Monarch! Revolt of Lightning Disobey!" Dark Rebellion charged forward and rammed Zaborg with his spike, destroying it.

 **SAWATARI LP: 500** → **0**

 **?: WIN  
** **SAWATARI: LOSE**

The masked duelist then pulled down his mask, revealing the rest of his face. Everyone gasped in shock when his face got revealed and saw that it looked like Yuya's face except with gray eyes.

Yuzu walked over to him, "Wait...Yuya?" Yuzu didn't think that this guy would be Yuya especially with the purple and black hair so why does he…

Sawatari looked at him shocked, "I-It was you-!" He then collapsed to the floor.

Kakimoto and Yamabe grabbed him while Ootomo looked at the Yuya look-alike, "This guy is dangerous, let's get out of here!" All three of them ran out of the building while carrying Sawatari away.

Yuzu looked at the guy confused and conflicted, "Are you really...Yuya?" Yuzu wasn't sure if this was Yuya or not.

The Yuya look-alike looked at her confused, "Yuya? Who is that?"

Yuzu looked at him surprised but still confused, "So you're not Yuya...He's my childhood friend.

The Yuya look-alike lowered his gaze with a sad look on his face, "Then you really aren't _her_."

Yuzu was about to ask what he meant by that before hearing some people shouting in the distance, "Yuzu!" "Are you okay!?" The Yuya look-alike had his eyes widened at the familiar voice that came second, " _That voice…!"_

Yuzu turned to where the voices were which was outside the warehouse a little, "Yuya? Ruri?"

Yuto's eyes widened in shock as he heard Yuzu say Ruri's name, " _Wait...She knows Ruri?! But does that mean…!"_ He also turned to where the door was opened, honestly getting some hope in him.

But before anything else could happen, Yuzu's bracelet then began to glow brightly, illuminating the entire area of the warehouse and blinding both people. Yuzu couldn't see for a moment as Yuto turned into particles and vanished.

When the light dimmed out, Yuzu opened her eyes and saw that the Yuya look-alike was gone. She was confused, "Wait, what? Where did he go?"

Just then, Yuya and Ruri both arrived inside the warehouse and Yuya yelled, "Yuzu!" Yuzu turned to see that Yuya and Ruri had both arrived.

Yuya ran up to her and had his hands on her shoulders, "Yuzu, are you okay?"

Yuzu's eyes blinked in confusion, "Y-yes I'm fine."

Yuya sighed in relief, "That's good."

Ruri smiled, happy that Yuzu was safe but then looked around the warehouse and saw that most of it was destroyed. Ruri was confused, "What happened in here?"

Yuzu still looked confused as she looked around the area before turning to Yuya and Ruri, "Did you see anyone come out of this warehouse?"

Yuya and Ruri were confused for a second before shaking their heads, "No."

Yuzu had her hand to her chin, " _If that wasn't Yuya, then who was it?"_ She looked at Ruri, " _First Yuya and now me...Why are there people with the exact face as us?"_

Ruri looked at Yuzu concerned, "Are you okay?"

While Yuya looked at concerned, he also sneezed a little, "Yeah, what did happen here? And why does it smell like smoke?"

Yuzu was conflicted for a second before looking at the both of them, "I'll tell you both later. Right now, I need time to think."

Both Yuya and Ruri were confused to what happened but decided to give Yuzu some time since it seemed like she needed it.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (NEARBY) LDS**

After a couple minutes, a flash of light appeared in an alleyway near LDS and when it dimmed out, Yuto appeared from it. He had his eyes closed for a few seconds as he was blinded by the harsh light.

When he opened his eyes, to his surprise, he saw that he wasn't in the warehouse no more but instead back nearby where the LDS building was. He wasn't sure how he got here; all he knew was that he was suddenly blinded and here he was.

Once he got over his shock, he looked down at the ground in order to process his thoughts. He was confused, " _Could...Could Ruri be actually here?"_ He was certain that Ruri's voice he heard before he teleported especially since this Yuzu girl said her name as well. If that was the case, how and what is Ruri doing here?

"Yuto." He heard a voice behind and saw that his best friend, Shun Kurosaki, was looking at him with a stern expression.

Yuto was a little surprised at that Shun was here but then looked at him neutrally, "Shun."

Shun walked over to him, "Did you find out anything about our enemy?"

Yuto looked down in disappointment, "No. Not yet."

Shun sighed before turning around, "Then we'll keep looking until we'll find what we're looking for." He then began to walk away.

However, Yuto, thinking he should say something, spoke, "Wait, Shun!" Shun looked back at him wondering what Yuto wanted to say.

Yuto looked conflicted but also certain about something, "I think...I think she's here."

Shun raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Who's here?"

Yuto then had a look of resolve on his face, "...Ruri. I think she's here in Standard."

* * *

 **Alright I didn't change much of the duel with Yuto and Sawatari because, again, I just didn't see any reason to really change it a lot although I did add a few more things to the duel.**

 **Once again, I made more OC characters in the form of Bryan and Kylian (the others I don't honestly care, I just made them for the sake of them being there). Like Chihaya, they will also be involved in the story coming forward. I know that there's already so many characters in Arc-V that it is a little difficult to manage all of them. But then I thought about it, and basically said "screw it" so I am going forward with adding more characters and more importance to them in the overall story. I'm curious as to you all's thoughts about them so post in a review if you want to. I will say that it will be very interesting once we get to the part of the Lancers Selection.**

 **Also, in case some people are wondering, no, I'm not having Serena go to Standard early in this story and join You Show. She's honestly going to arrive around the same time as she did in the anime so you're going to have to be patient about that. I mainly put Ruri and Rin in the story early because: 1. They only showed up at the end of the show which kind of irritated me and 2. They basically didn't get any development in the show which is what I'm trying to do now. That's all I wanted to say on that.**

 **By the way, the extra duel I wrote was supposed to be easy for Yuya and Ruri in case some people didn't like how it went. On the bright side, I did give Ruri a new Xyz Monster since I kinda did show more of Rin's deck than Ruri's so I decided to show more of Ruri's cards in this chapter.**

 **I gave Dark Rebellion the extra ability to attack more than once and to recover its overlay units. I went through what changes I could bring to it and this was the answer I came up without it being a lot similar to the other dragons' abilities. I know that this might not balance all of the dragons' abilities but it's the best I can come up with and I hope y'all like the change.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Lyrical Gathering** (Magic Card) - Declare a number from 1 to 6: All current "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters you currently control now each have the same level equal to the declared number. You can banish this card from your Graveyard to target 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" monster you control; it gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Army Nightingale  
** (RNK: 6, Winged-Beast, Xyz, WIND, ATK: 800, DEF: 800)  
 _(3 or more Level 6 Winged-Beast Monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ This card gains 400 ATK and DEF for each Xyz Material attached to it. While this card has Xyz Material: It can attack a number of times each Battle Phase, up to the number of Xyz Materials attached to it. When this card destroys a monster by battle: You can detach 1 Xyz Material to inflict damage to your opponent equal to half of the destroyed monster's original ATK. As long this card is on the field: The first time each "Lyrical Luscinia" monster you control would be destroyed, it is not destroyed.

 **Some OCG & Anime effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **Change to Real Cards:**

 **Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon** _(added to monster effect)  
_ (RNK: 4, Dragon, Xyz, DARK, ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000)  
 _(2 Level 4 Monsters)_  
 _Monster Effect:_ Up to Twice per turn, you can detach one Xyz Material from this card to decrease the ATK of an opponent's monster by half and increase this card's ATK by the same amount until the end of the turn. This card gains an additional attack for every Xyz Material attached to this card. Once per turn, during your End Phase, if this card has no Xyz Material: You can target up to 2 Level 4 or below monsters from your Graveyard; attach them to this card as Xyz Material.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **You Show's Crisis, LDS Invasion! -** Yuya is accused of attacking and injuring Sawatari and now You Show is being challenged by LDS in a 3 vs. 3 dueling match in order to settle the argument...

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 **Like or please review ~**


	8. You Show's Crisis, LDS Invasion!

**I'm so sorry that this took so long but, once again, my schedule decides to screw me in terms of the amount of free time I have now to write this so I apologize if this took so long. Though I guess technically this one chapter counts as four since it was four episodes in the anime so that's another reason why this took so long. Thank you all for the recent reviews from the last chapter so here's some of my responses:**

 **Raychiu - Not sure if Mikleo will be** _ **participating**_ **but he will be** _ **involved**_ **in a way.**

 **Mekyaku - Maybe sometime down the road I will explain what each bracelet does. Otherwise, thank you for the comments. :) It really encourages me to keep writing this. I appreciate it.**

 **Matrixnis - Ya know, that is a good point. I didn't think about that plot hole honestly until just now so thank you for that. It probably might be in the story.**

 **Frost190 - Thank you for the comments. This will all be in one chapter except for one which you'll probably know which one it is since you're reading now. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 8 - You Show's Crisis, LDS Invasion!**

* * *

UNKNOWN SPACE - MIKLEO'S DREAM

Mikleo looked around to where he at: empty space. There was nothing here but black darkness. It was the same area he had the dream once a couple days ago. Did that mean that he will see that woman again?

His suspicion was correct as the same bright light illuminated the area and the same silhouette of the woman appeared from the light as well and floated down towards him. Mikleo was looking at her with both a curious and confused expression as she stopped from two feet away from him.

There was some differences in the silhouette now: he can see some colors as well as her hair which is dark maroon but that's all he can see; he can't see her face still.

The woman looked at Mikleo with a smile, "I'm very happy that I can talk to you again, Mikleo."

Mikleo was lost, "Who are you? And how do you know who I am?"

The woman continued to smile, "I have known a lot about you since both me and _another_ grew up with you."

Mikleo was pondering, "Grew up with me?" Did that mean that this woman is from his childhood or something? But he doesn't have many friends other than the ones in You Show and Gongenzaka. He's spent a lot of time training and protecting his brother that he didn't really bother to make any new friends in middle or high school so how does she know him then?

The woman's smile then turned a little sad, "Though I think would be better if that's all you know for now."

Mikleo raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Huh?"

She then floated towards him and hugged him emotionally with Mikleo looking stunned shocked towards the affection. The woman sniffed, "...I'm sorry for everything."

Mikleo looked at her confused, "What?" What is she sorry for?

The woman released him and then slowly floated away from him while also speaking, "...Protect your brother and all of his friends, Mikleo...For the both of us…"

Before Mikleo could reach out and ask what she meant, everything faded to white all of a sudden and he blacked out.

 _End of Dreamscape_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

This time, Mikleo woke up and sat up from his bed, feeling less sweaty than last time but he looked confused as to what he dreamed about.

He stared at his hand, "Who is she? And how does she know me?" His thoughts then to turned to what the woman looked like or at least what he could see and thought it looked strangely familiar but isn't sure who it is.

He looked at the nightstand that had a picture frame of his brother, Yuzu and all of his friends at You Show. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, "...Protect my brother and his friends…" Why would this girl need to tell him that? He was suddenly getting a bad feeling about all of this but didn't know what yet.

* * *

 **(NEARBY) MAIAMI CITY - STREETS**

A plane was flying in the sky towards Maiami City and inside of it was a purple haired woman that wore red lipstick and a red dress. She smiled as she looked at a newspaper article of her and a man; her name is Himika Akaba, Reiji Akaba's mother and she was returning from a business meeting in order to expand LDS even more. She then looked out through the window next to her when she heard that they would soon land at the Maiami International Airport and she could see the LDS building since it was one of the tallest buildings in the city.

* * *

Himika was sitting in a limousine that was taking her straight to the LDS building. Nakajima was across from her and looked at her, "Congratulations on the successful company merger, Chairwoman."

She looked at him with a smile, "Thank you, with this one more step in our plan has been completed." She looked out the window, "To make LDS present in every part of the world, to raise duelists with the greatest skills and power is mine and Reiji's plan."

Nakajima nodded, "I'm sure the President will be very pleased with your successful acquisition. But…"

Himika looked at him confused while narrowing her eyes, "But what?"

Nakajima looked at her, "To be honest, I had refrained myself from contacting you about this because I didn't want to disrupt your negotiations. While you were absent, there were a number of incidents that I believe would interest you."

Himika narrowed her eyes even more, "Incidents?"

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Yuya, Ruri, Rin, Mikleo, and Gongenzaka were all in the lounge area of You Show while waiting for Yuzu. She had called them all here so she could talk to them about something. Yuya and Ruri both had an idea about what this was about; it was about what happened yesterday with Yuzu. They don't know what happened but something was clearly bothering her so they gave her time to think and it seems like she had enough to think about.

Gongenzaka looked at Yuya, "Yuya, what do you think Yuzu wants to talk to us about?" Gongenzaka wasn't around these past couple of days since he was taking care of some business at his dojo so he wasn't informed of what happened recently.

Yuya looked back at Gongenzaka, "It might have something to do with what happened yesterday."

Gongenzaka looked confused, "Yesterday?"

Yuya nodded as he told what happened yesterday with what Ayu told him what Yuzu was trying to do. After he was finished, he looked at Gongenzaka, "I don't what happened but Yuzu seems troubled about something; it might have happened before me and Ruri got at the warehouse." Gongenzaka nodded in response, understanding the situation a little better. Mikleo already knew about this since Yuya told him about it yesterday and just nodded in response as well.

Yuzu then arrived in the room and waved at them, "Sorry that I'm late."

Ruri shook her head with a sweet smile, "It's not a problem."

Yuzu looked around the room and noticed that Sora wasn't here, "Where's Sora?"

Yuya was scratching the back of his neck, "He's not here yet. I think he said that he had to take care of something first before leaving."

Ruri didn't show it, but deep down she was kind of glad that Sora wasn't here as she still doesn't quite know what an Academia soldier is doing here in the first place and isn't sure what he can do with certain information. She hates feeling this way but she's not naive.

Yuzu shook her head, "I might have to tell him later." She then sat down in one of the chairs in the lounge area.

Rin looked at Yuzu with a curious expression, "So what's this about Yuzu?"

Yuzu looked a little troubled before speaking, "Well…"

Yuya looked at Yuzu, "Did something happen yesterday?" He was honestly curious as to what could have happened that made her so troubled.

Yuzu nodded, "...Yeah." She then started explaining what happened after she got the ice cream: she saw two of Sawatari's friends saying that Sawatari wanted revenge on Yuya so she decided to him herself so he wouldn't bother Yuya. When he heard that, Yuya had a smile on his face, touched that Yuzu would do that for him.

Yuzu was looking downward as she was recalling what happened yesterday, "As I was about to duel him, someone came by and challenged Sawatari instead."

Ruri looked curious and confused, "Who came by?"

Yuzu then explained that it was a masked boy in dark clothing that challenged Sawatari for some reason. He also told her that he doesn't want her to get hurt. Ruri's eyes widened a little in surprise as that sounded like someone she knew.

Yuya looked a little confused, "He told you that you didn't want to get hurt? From what?" While Yuya was concerned about Yuzu being used as bait for him, he doesn't believe that Sawatari is that low to injure someone so it didn't really make sense to him.

Yuzu looked confused, "I don't know exactly."

Mikleo was listening while leaning on the wall with his eyes closed and arms across from each other. Gongenzaka looked at Yuzu, "Go on."

Yuzu looked at them, "Well, as he dueled Sawatari, the attacks from their monsters felt really real. I actually felt cold from Mobius's attack."

Yuya looked a little confused, "Wait, you felt the attack? Wasn't it just a normal duel?"

Yuzu shook her head, "Yes, it was. But that wasn't the only weird thing that happened." Everyone then looked at Yuzu as she continued, "The masked boy defeated Sawatari and after he…"

Yuzu looked at Yuya, "He took off his mask and I saw your face, Yuya."

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, "What?" Everyone looked surprised and confused by what Yuzu just revealed except for Mikleo who just opened his eyes in curiosity.

Yuya looked down a little, "My face? Did that mean…" He then looked at Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin, "It's not just you three then?"

Yuzu looked down, conflicted, "When I first saw him, at first I thought it was you, Yuya. But then I remembered Ruri and Rin; then I heard your voice when he was still around. I was confused so I needed some time to think."

Yuya, although still confused, nodded in understanding since he wouldn't really blame her for being confused although now he wondered who it was that looked like him. Yuya looked down while thinking, " _Come to think of it, didn't both Ruri and Rin said that I looked like someone they knew?"_ He didn't really think about it until now but from what each of the girls has said, he has someone with a face similar to his. Maybe even more than one person. Although, why is that the case?

Yuya looked at Yuzu with a curious expression, "Besides my face, what did this guy look like?"

Yuzu was surprised a little by the question before she had thinking expression on her face, "Well...he had light purple and black hair and...I think I saw he had gray eyes as well."

Ruri's eyes widened in shock by the description Yuzu was saying, " _Purple and black hair and gray eyes...Could that be…?"_ It sounded like her friend Yuto since Yuzu was describing Yuto's exact appearance. She had to be sure first before she jumped to conclusions.

Ruri looked at Yuzu with a semi-pleading and curious expression, "Yuzu, what kind of cards did this boy used?"

Yuzu thought about for a second before looking back at Ruri, "They were called Phantom Knights from what I saw." Ruri's eyes widened even more at the revelation.

Yuya raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Phantom Knights? Never heard of that archetype." He had never heard of those cards before but then thought about the description Yuzu had just said. He was thinking, " _Same face as me...Purple and black hair...Wait a minute."_ His thoughts then turned something Ruri said to him when she first met him, " _You look like my friend. His name is Yuto. He has black and purple hair. Gray eyes. And you honestly have the exact same face as him."_ Yuya's face then had a look of revelation as the person Ruri described sounds exactly the same as Yuzu's description.

Meanwhile, Ruri had a shocked look on her face as she heard both the description of the boy and his deck. She looked down a little, " _Phantom Knights...There's only one person I know that uses that deck. That means...Yuto is here!"_ She was honestly happy that her friend is alive but wondered what is he doing here in Standard. She then thought of something, " _If Yuto is here, then...maybe Shun is here as well."_ She is honestly in shock that they're actually here in Standard. She's feeling confusion and happiness right now but she also feels conflicted. Now that she knows they're here, she wonders what to do. If she tries to go look for them, she may end up finding them but then there's a chance that her friends in You Show, especially Yuya and Yuzu, might be caught up in their mess as they might eventually figure out what she has been through if she's does something suspicious. And there's the fact that Sora might find out as well, which honestly she's not afraid of him, but there's no telling what he might do in order to card her and her friends especially to her friends in Standard or he might report to Academia and send reinforcements. She still hasn't figured out why or what an Academia soldier such as Sora is doing here in the first place especially considering they haven't targeted Standard yet.

"Ruri." Ruri then raised her head as she heard Yuya call out her name and then everyone else looked at the both of them.

Yuya looked both a little confused and curious, "Could that be your friend Yuto you mentioned before?" He had to know for sure if that was Ruri's friend that she mentioned before especially since he supposedly looks like him as well. Ruri's eyes widened a little in surprise at the question.

Yuzu looked confused, "Yuto?" She had never heard Ruri or Yuya mention that name before.

Ruri looked to the ground while feeling a little troubled. She was trying to decide if she should answer honestly or not if she's think it is Yuto. If she says yes, then there's a chance that they might want to know about their situation which she doesn't want to happen. If she says no, then they might stop wondering who it is but it would make her feel guilty in the long run. She's not sure what to do.

Gongenzaka looked at Yuya, "Who is Yuto?"

Yuya looked at Ruri, "I think it would be better if maybe Ruri tells you." It honestly wasn't his decision to make as Yuto is her friend so he thinks it might be better if Ruri tells everyone what she told him before. Besides, just from looking at her, Yuya could tell something is bothering her and he didn't want to, unwillingly, make her upset cause she hasn't mentioned Yuto for some reason to the others and he didn't question her decision before. Now, he feels like they need to hear it from her.

Around that time, she made her decision and had a look of resolve from her face, "...Yes. I think that is Yuto."

She raised her head and looked at everyone, "Yuto is my friend from back home and he honestly has the same face as Yuya." Everyone else except for Yuya and Mikleo, who just raised an eyebrow, had their eyes widened in surprise as well from this revelation.

"What Yuzu just said fits his description: black and purple hair, gray eyes, and the same face as Yuya. And I know for sure that he uses a Phantom Knights deck."

Gongenzaka looked at Ruri, "And why didn't you mention this before?"

Ruri then had a sad look on her face, "Well because I was still surprised that me, Yuzu and Rin all have the same face and if I'd said anything about Yuto, it would just just add more confusion. We still don't even know why we all have the same face…"

Although everyone was a little silent after that, they knew Ruri had a point as it would add more confusion then there already is. They didn't talk about it much because they don't really have any answers just theories. So with that said, they all understood how Ruri felt if she would have said this earlier.

Rin put her hand on Ruri's shoulder for reassurance and smiled a little, "Don't worry Ruri, you're not the only one that withheld information." RIn also felt the same way as Ruri did as she was still confused about what recently happened to her as well.

Yuzu looked at Rin confused, "What do you mean?"

Rin looked a little hesitate before looking at everyone, "Do you all remember me saying anything about Yugo?"

Yuya scratched the back of his head, "I remember you mentioning that this Yugo is your friend from home but nothing else."

Rin looked down at the ground a little, "Well...Yugo also has the same face as you Yuya." Everyone else had their eyes widened a little in surprise from the revelation.

Yuya was surprised, "Yugo has the same face as me as well?"

Rin nodded, "Yeah, and the reason I didn't say it before was the same reason Ruri had as well."

Yuya thought about the revelations that were revealed. Similar to Yuzu, he also has more than one person that looks like him albeit with some different features. First he gained Pendulum cards and now he has people that look like him; he wonders what exactly is going on here. However, something bothered him when he remembered when he first met Rin.

Yuya looked at Rin a little confused, "So wait, I look like Yugo but when you first met me, you thought I was someone else though…?" Rin said that he looked like someone she met before she mentioned Yugo so he wondered if there was another person that looked like him or not.

Rin was a little nervous, "...Oh, that." Rin remembered that she had mistaken Yuya for that hooded duelist that tried to kidnap her or something and she apologized for it. They hadn't asked who she mistook him for so she thought they didn't need to worry about it until now.

Yuya looked a little concerned, "Is there something you haven't mentioned yet, Rin?" Everyone else looked at Rin, both a little confused and concerned for her.

Rin looked down at the ground a little before raising her head back up and nodded, "Yeah. Do you remember when I mistook you for someone else?"

Yuya nodded, "I remember."

Rin frowned, "Well, before I came here, there was someone else that looked like you and...I think...he tried to kidnap me or something." Rin was having some trouble speaking as she didn't particularly like to remember what recently happened to her and she doesn't know why that guy was after her.

Yuya's widened in surprise, "Kidnap you?!" Of course, he heard Rin saying it was another person that looked like him but he was more concerned about the other detail she just said. Everyone else were shocked by what Rin revealed.

Rin looked troubled and uncertain, "At least, I think that's what he was trying to do. He wanted something so...he chased me into an alleyway and defeated me in a duel." Rin then told everyone else how she came across this hooded duelist and defeated her. Ruri's eyes widened a little in surprise as that was what recently happened to her before she got transported here.

Yuzu frowned, "That's awful." She then smiled a little, "Well, at least you're safe now."

Rin nodded with a small smile, "Yeah."

Gongenzaka looked at Rin, "What did this guy look like?"

Rin looked at the ground a little while frowning, "I only got a good look at his face when the duel ended but...I think he had violet and pink hair with purple eyes...along with your face Yuya."

"What?" Everyone else turned to Ruri who shouted a little louder than normal and looked completely shocked.

Yuzu looked at Ruri, "What's wrong?"

Ruri was shocked, "...T-That's the same guy..."

Yuya was confused, "The same guy?"

Ruri also looked at the ground while frowning and feeling a little hesitate, "...The same exact thing happened to me...and that's the same guy that try to kidnap me as well." Everyone else was surprised that Ruri also experienced the same thing as Rin. Ruri then told them all about how she chased into an alleyway and defeated by the hooded person while also describing the same exact features this boy.

Yuya frowned, "So the same guy tried to kidnap the both of you then?" He was clenching his fists at the thought of someone hurting his friends especially Ruri and Rin. He wondered who exactly it was especially since he has his face and why he did it.

Ruri and Rin both looked at each other and nodded, knowing that they were saying almost the same exact thing.

Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes at them, a little confused, "So then how did you two get away from that guy anyway?"

Both of them looked a little troubled, though neither of them knew that the same thing happened to them, that their bracelets basically made them vanish or something and that's how they ended up here or something.

Rin was a little hesitate, "You...might not believe me if I told you."

Yuya smiled a little, "Try us. I'm sure we will." He always believe in his friends no matter what happens and he's sure Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and Mikleo feel the same as well. Besides, he has had some "weird" stuff happen to him recently so it can't be any crazier. Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and Mikleo all nodded in agreement.

Rin smiled a little and nodded, "Thanks." Rin had her right hand holding her bracelet, "Well, I don't how to say it other than my bracelet made him disappear…" Ruri and Yuzu's eyes widened a little in surprise by what Rin just said, knowing what she might be talking about.

Yuya narrowed his eyes in confusion, wondering if he heard that right, "Your bracelet made them disappear?" Mikleo and Gongenzaka were also confused as all three don't know what the three girls went through.

Rin nodded her head, "Yeah." Rin then stared at her bracelet, "I don't know why but just as I was about to be taken, all of a sudden, my bracelet was flashing and that guy disappeared." She didn't mention Yugo disappearing mainly because he came back home but the hooded guy didn't.

Yuya was surprised, "He vanished? Just from your bracelet shining?"

Ruri and Yuzu were shocked as they both said, "You too?" Everyone else turned to Yuzu and Ruri who both had shocked looks on their faces.

Mikleo looked at them, "Did the same thing happen to you two as well?"

Ruri stared at her own bracelet, "Yeah. My bracelet also made that guy vanish all of a sudden."

Yuzu looked at both her bracelet and Yuya, "And before when you and Ruri showed up Yuya, my bracelet was shining all of a sudden and Yuto vanished as well."

Rin looked back at everyone, "And if I'm right...they are also the reason me and Ruri got sent here in Maiami City." Everyone looked at Rin confused by what she was implying.

Ruri, however, knew what that meant and was surprised again, "You mean...your bracelet made you appear here as well."

Rin nodded and then stared at her bracelet, "So I was right. Because after that, all of a sudden, sometime my bracelet shined again and somehow I ended up in Maiami City."

Mikleo raised an eyebrow, "So what you both are saying is that your bracelets can transport people and that's how you ended up in Maiami City."

Ruri and Rin looked at each other, even though they're not completely sure, they knew what they saw and nodded in agreement to the others.

Everyone except the girls had the process all of the information they had heard from each of the girls and it was a lot to take in. Each of them didn't know what to feel right now other than confusion and understanding. The three girls were nervous that they might not believe them.

Ruri stared at the floor, "I know it's hard to believe but…" Ruri was interrupted by Yuya who placed a hand on her shoulder for reassurance.

Yuya smiled at Ruri, Rin and Yuzu, "I believe you three. Although it's a lot to take in, I don't believe you three are lying and I can understand why you didn't say anything earlier." Yuya could understand the confusion they might have towards what happened to each of them before and not knowing enough information could lead to more confusion which is why they didn't speak before and he doesn't blame either one of them.

Gongenzaka had his eyes closed for a moment to think before opening them with resolve, "I understand your confusion as well and what kind of man would I be if I didn't believe in my friends. I believe you three as well."

Everyone else looked at Mikleo who just shrugged his shoulders and smiled a little, "I'll believe it as well. Besides, lots of crazy stuff has been happening lately."

Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin each smiled for the support the three boys have given them, thankful to have them as friends.

Yuzu then frowned a little while looking at Yuya, "Thank you but I'm sorry for before, Yuya."

Yuya was confused, "Sorry? For what?"

Yuzu looked down a little, "When I first saw Yuto, at first I thought it was you but then his features looked different and I was confused earlier by what I saw. I'm sorry for doubting you, even a little bit."

Yuzu, however, then raised her head in surprise when Yuya placed his hand on her shoulder while smiling, "Hey, I can understand your confusion. At least you talked about it so it's alright."

Yuzu was a little surprised, "Yuya…" She then smiled at Yuya. She shouldn't really be surprised; Yuya always supports his friends and encourages them whenever they're down no matter what happens.

Ruri bowed a little bit while smiling sweetly, "Thank you for believing me as well Yuya, Gongenzaka, Mikleo and Yuzu." While she didn't exactly want to reveal much about how she got here or what happened to her, she is happy that she was able to come clean about some things as well so now she feels less guilty than before.

Rin nodded and smiled as well, "Thank you as well." She was thankful that she made such good friends who support her as she only had Yugo around to help her and support her as well.

Yuya nodded, "No problem girls." He then looked at the ceiling while feeling a little troubled, "Although a lot of confusing things have happened: first, I got Pendulum cards and now there are people like me, Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin that each have the same face. Just what is going on here?"

Yuzu looked a little troubled, "I don't know either." Everyone else was silent as they don't know what to think either.

Ruri, however, was thinking about what Rin said: that she was targeted by the same person that tried to kidnap her before. Did that mean that Academia both wanted her and Rin for some reason? She doesn't know the answer to that yet.

Mikleo decided to get everyone's attention, "In any case, we don't have answers to those questions. Instead…" He held out his hand towards Ruri, "Why don't we try to find Ruri's friend since he's supposedly around?"

Yuya had a look of realization before smiling, "Oh, yeah! We can try to help you look for Yuto, Ruri." Yuzu, Rin, and Gongenzaka all smiled and nodded in agreement as well.

Ruri was surprised but then looked a little troubled, "Oh, thank you but I don't know…" She wasn't sure if she wanted her friends to meet Yuto as they might find out more about their situation. She was, however, touched that they would be willing to help her look for Yuto. Since she found Yuto is here in Standard, she may decide to go out and look for him. She is hesitate, however, because of her current situation as well.

The others, however, didn't not seem to notice Ruri feeling troubled except for Mikleo who narrowed his eyes in suspicion, wondering why Ruri would feel troubled.

Yuya smiled a little, "For now, how about we eat lunch and then help you look for him later Ruri?"

Ruri smiled a little bit as well, "Oh...Sure."

Everyone else then decided to go and help Ruri find her friend in the afternoon. Everyone but Ruri left the room in order to go get something to eat, leaving Ruri who was still sitting on the couch.

She was looking at the ceiling with a small smile on her face, " _Yuto...Shun…"_ She was at least happy to hear that they're okay for now.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LDS**

Somewhere nearby, Yuto was watching the LDS building on top of another building that's close to LDS. He was watching to see if there was any suspicious activity from them to see if they're their enemies or not. At the same time, he had a frown on his face as he was thinking about what he and Shun talked about after he revealed that Ruri might be in Standard.

* * *

 _Flashback (Several hours ago)_

 _Shun's eyes widened in shock as he just heard what Yuto revealed: that Ruri is possibly in the Standard Dimension._

 _He walked up to Yuto and placed his hands on Yuto's shoulders with a hasty expression on his face, "Yuto...are you sure? Are you sure Ruri is here?!"_

 _Yuto was hesitate for a second but then looked certain, "Yes...I think she is here."_

 _Shun narrowed his eyes at him, "How? I thought she got captured by Academia!"_

 _Yuto shook his head, "I don't know but I am certain."_

 _Yuto then told Shun what happened just a few minutes ago: about how he encountered a girl named Yuzu that looked like Ruri but some differences, dueled some guy from LDS who threatened her and then after the duel he learned there's apparently someone named Yuya that looks like him as well._

 _Shun narrowed his eyes even more as he let go of Yuto's shoulders, "This Yuzu looks like Ruri? And this Yuya looks like you?"_

 _Yuto nodded, "Yeah...and after that, I'm sure I heard Ruri's voice and Yuzu said her name as well."_

 _Shun's eyes widened in shock then narrowed his eyes again, "If that's true...then why isn't my sister here with you?" He would have thought Yuto would try to go save his sister for both himself and Yuto so why didn't he?_

 _Yuto looked down a little, "I tried to see her but...all of a sudden I ended up back here." Yuto then explained that before he could see Ruri, a flash of light blinded him for a second before he somehow ended up back here which would mean he teleported here somehow._

 _Shun was confused, "Teleported? How exactly?"_

 _Yuto shook his head, "I don't know. I was blinded for a second before I could see."_

 _Shun then had his eyes for a minute while thinking about the information he was processing. After that, he opened his eyes and had a stern expression on his face and turned around, "If she is here, then we'll find her no matter what."_

 _Yuto looked at Shun, "Yeah. We can either try to find Yuzu and Yuya to see where Ruri is or…" He then turned to the LDS building, "Maybe LDS can give us answers."_

 _Shun, having listened to everything, said nothing and just walked while looking like he was on a mission._

 _Flashback End._

* * *

After going through what happened recently, Yuto gathered that Shun was probably going after some LDS members first to see if they have any answers or not since it would be easier to find them. If not, then both of them agreed to try and look for Yuya and Yuzu.

Yuto was thinking about what Yuzu had said: that this Yuya supposedly looks like but he wondered by how much. He thought about Ruri and that Yuzu looks like her, " _So me and Ruri both have people that look like us...What does this mean?"_ He doesn't know the answer to that.

Although he was a little bothered by something, " _Since I made my presence known to LDS, I hope I haven't caused any trouble to Yuzu and this Yuya."_

While he's not sure about the situation, he would feel guilty if he did accidently cause trouble for the both of them unintentionally. Although, he's not sure about this dimension's laws since he and Shun just arrived here. However, sitting here and watching isn't really doing much so he decided to take more action.

He stood up with a look of resolve on his face, " _I'm going to see if I can any information about them."_ With that in mind, he jumped from building to building to gather some info.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside Reiji's office, he looked at his mother who just entered, "Welcome home, mother."

Himika looked at Reiji as she walked towards him, "Reiji, about this new summoning method that I have been told about, is it true that there's another besides Ritual, Fusion, Synchro and Xyz."

Reiji nodded as he fixed his glasses, "That's right, mother." Himika was surprised at the revelation.

Reiji pointed his hand towards the couch in the room, offering his mother to sit in to watch. Himika came over and sat down while Reiji pressed a button on his remote and a screen came down, "It was around a week ago that it appeared out of the blue."

The screen lit up and a video of Yuya's duel against Strong Ishijima appeared on the screen. Himika watched as Yuya held up Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician."

She saw how the two cards were placed in the corners of the duel disk and the word "PENDULUM" appeared in between them. The two magicians appeared in two pillars of light while also having the numbers 1 and 8 in front of them.

Yuya looked up at them, "And now I can summon monsters between Level 2 and 7 simultaneously! Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" Three lights appeared from the portal and out came Whip Viper, Odd-Eyes Magician, and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

She then saw the inside of the control room of Leo Corporation and how they detected the energy of this new summoning method and discovered what it was called.

Himika looked at Reiji surprised, "Pendulum Summon?" This was indeed a new summoning method that she hasn't heard before. That boy had summoned three monsters at once and two of them were both a Level 6 and Level 7 monster.

Reiji nodded, "In order to use this summoning method, it involves two of the Pendulum cards and allows you to summon multiple high-level monsters without releasing. Something like this has never existed before."

Himika looked at him troubled, "It can't be...Is it the work of that person?" She spoke with hatred in her voice as the person she was speaking about was the one she hated the most.

Reiji looked at his mother, "We're still investigating on exactly how this occurred. But, on the topic on performing Pendulum Summoning itself, through our data and analysis we almost have a complete understanding of it."

Himika smiled at him, "I expect nothing less of you, Reiji."

Reiji adjusted his glasses again, "However, the main problem is the duelist who first discovered this method." He pressed another button and a image of Yuya appeared, "His name is Yuya Sakaki. He's a 16 year old boy that attends a duel school called You Show Duel School in the city. He's in the Junior Youth class and his match record is 30 wins out of 49 duels."

Himika looked at the screen with narrowed eyes, "So basically he has around a 60% win rate? That's it? And he's still in Junior Youth class?" She looked at Reiji, "You mean to tell me that he is the one who gave birth to this new summoning method?"

"There is one more thing, he is the son of Yusho Sakaki." said Reiji.

Himika's eyes widened in shock when she heard that, "Yusho Sakaki?! The man who disappeared three years who may have joined forces with our enemies and now he's sent his son to…?"

Reiji interrupted her, "We cannot deny the possibility, however I believe we can't deny the opposite either." Reiji, who had looked up to Yusho, was not going to assume that he joined forces with their enemies until he had some evidence for it. Although he wonders why he hasn't heard from him since that day. Also, he wouldn't really believe that Yuya would align with their enemies since he knew what kind of person he was then again, he might have changed over the last few years since he last saw him.

His mother looked at him confused, "The opposite?"

Reiji turned the monitor off as he turned toward his mother, "It seems last night that Mayor Sawatari's son, Shingo Sawatari who is a student of LDS, was attacked last night."

Himika raised an eyebrow, "And what does that have to do with this?"

Reiji fixed his glasses again, "He was attacked by a person who used Xyz Summoning, and he said that it was Yuya Sakaki that attacked him."

Himika's eyes widened in surprise, "But hold on, does this boy even know how to Xyz Summon?"

Reiji looked at his mother, "While I'm not certain if Yuya Sakaki did attack Sawatari or knows how to Xyz Summon; this could be a good opportunity to gather more information about Pendulum Summoning, so please listen to my idea…"

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HOSPITAL**

Sawatari was lying in a hospital bed with plaster around his left leg and right arm. He had an angry look on his face, "It was Yuya Sakaki! I saw his face with my very eyes!" He slammed his bandaged arm against the bed while remembering the duel he had with the masked duelist and him revealing his face.

His friends looked at him while he kept yelling about how Yuya made a fool out of him, "Does Sawatari realize he's hitting things with his right arm which should be hurt?" Kakimoto asked and the others nodded while wondering the same thing.

Sawatari surprised them when he looked at them irritated, "You all saw it too right! That was definitely Yuya Sakaki wasn't it!"

Kakimoto had a nervous smile on his face, "O-Of course it was him, right guys?" He looked at the other two who were smiling nervously and Ootomo nodded before he looked at him, "Well it was a bit dark, but Yuzu Hiragi did say his name…"

Yamabe looked nervous as well as he was rubbing his hands together, "Of course it was! Besides, there's no way Sawatari would lie about it!" Sawatari nodded with a satisfied smile on his face.

They heard another voice speak, "That's exactly right!" A short overweight man with a small moustache, and barely any hair on his head, in a brown suit had an angry look on his face, "There is no way my honorable son would ever tell a lie!"

Mr. Sawatari walked over to the balcony door and opened it and was yelling in a megaphone with angry tear in his eyes, "This is to all of you who do not think kindly of me being elected Mayor! These actions will not serve to hinder me one bit! _In order to resolve this crisis…!_ "

Yamabe and Ootomo looked at each other troubled, "Hey, Sawatari lied about his injuries didn't he?" "Yeah, though his father didn't notice at all…"

Mr. Sawatari walked over to Shingo and grabbed his bandaged arm with tears in his eyes, "Shingo, papa will definitely avenge you!" Shingo smiled at him, "Thank you, papa."

However, they then heard a new voice, "My my Mr. Mayor, there's no need to get so worked up."

They turned and saw Himika Akaba walk into the hospital room with flowers in her hands, "Chairwoman Akaba?! When did you return?"

She was smiling while she looked at them, "Just recently, I heard the news about Shingo and came right over.

Mr. Sawatari came over to her with a smile, "Oh, thank you very much!" He then accepted the flowers from her.

She looked at him, "But of course it's only natural, after all with you supporting us in Maiami City, I couldn't sit still when I heard your son was attacked last night."

Mr. Sawatari then immediately had an angry look on his face, "My sentiments exactly!" He then brought out his phone, "We must hurry and notify the police at once!"

However, Himika held out her hand, "Oh, we shouldn't do that!" Mr. Sawatari looked at her confused.

She continued, "It's a very important time for you now as a candidate. If word of this got out, it would cause a lot of problems."

Mr. Sawatari looked troubled, "B-But Chairwoman Akaba…"

She looked at him with a smile, "Please leave this to me."

Mr. Sawatari looked at her confused, "To you…?"

Himika's smile grew larger, "Yes. I believe I can resolve this in a way that will satisfy both of us." She chuckled a little as everything was going as Reiji had planned.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Shuzo was currently teaching Yuya and the others about summoning monster through Normal Summoning, Special Summoning, and Tribute Summoning while Mikleo was working on something in the garage. However, the kids aren't really paying much attention since they already know about this stuff since it's the basics of dueling.

Sora had a textbook in front of him while hiding both a smile and the deserts he was eating while whispering, "I now perform a Fusion Summon with Vanilla Ice Cream and Custard Pudding! Devour it all! Sweets Ruler Prince Vanilla!"

Yuya looked at him with a serious look on his face, "Hey, you really shouldn't eat that right now."

Sora smiled at Yuya, "Of course I should! It's so delicious after all!" He held out a spoon towards Yuya, "Do you want some too, Yuya?"

Yuya shook his head, "No way! Besides if you get caught eating in class then who knows when Yuzu will use her…" Sora, however, stopped paying attention and went back to eating while Yuya noticed to the side that Yuzu was quiet.

Yuya poked her left arm, "Yuzu." She raised her head a little to see Yuya trying to get her attention. Ruri and Rin were next to them as well as they listened.

Yuzu looked at him confused, "What is it, Yuya?"

Yuya looked at her sympathetically, "Still thinking about last night?" Even after processing all of that information, it's hard to tell what's really going on since there's not enough information so of course she would still be a little troubled about that.

Yuzu looked hesitate before nodding, "Yeah."

Yuya placed his hand on her shoulder, "Hey, don't worry. I'll always be here to support you, Yuzu. We may not know much but we always do our best."

Yuzu grew a small smile on her face, "Yeah."

Ruri then spoke, "We're here for you as well Yuzu." Yuzu turned to Ruri and Rin confused while they were both giving supportive smiles. Rin nodded in agreement, "You helped us out before Yuzu so we'll support you as well."

Yuzu looked surprised, "Ruri...Rin…" She then smiled while feeling touched by the support she was getting from the both of them.

Yuya looked at the exchange with a smile while feeling glad that Yuzu had other girls to support her as she only had him, Mikleo, Gongenzaka, and the kids as well. He noticed before that she never really bothered to make any female friends at school; she just preferred to hang out with him at You Show which he's thankful for.

A little while after lunch, everyone agreed that they would help Ruri look for Yuto during the afternoon once You Show's lectures are done for today.

Shuzo then looked at Sora, "So Sora, do you want to explain the principles of Fusion Summoning for the class?"

However, he then saw that Sora was eating a lot of sweets and got angry, "Hey, what are you doing eating in class Sora?!"

Yuzu then had a question, "Dad, why didn't we teach about Extra Deck summoning methods before like Xyz Summoning?" Everyone looked at Yuzu a little confused by the question although it is a good question. Sora, however, was narrowing his eyes a little when he heard Xyz.

Shuzo was surprised, "Extra Deck? Well…" He was then a little hesitate, "We didn't...I can't teach what I haven't done. I'm not qualified to teach about those methods because I've never done them before." He brought out his hand to Sora and Yuya, "Now, we have Sora and Yuya who can both Fusion Summon so they can teach us." He then narrowed his eyes a little, "Besides, they recently started teaching Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz at LDS." He looked at her confused, "Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?"

Yuzu frowned a little while understanding her father's reasoning, "...I was just curious." Truth to be told, she understood that before Ruri and Rin came along and before Yuya showed that he can Fusion and Synchro Summon, there was no one at You Show who knew the mechanics of those summoning methods so they couldn't learn it. Now, she honestly wants to learn those methods to be a better duelist. She was also a little curious about how all of the Extra Deck summoning methods worked especially since she never learned them.

And another reason, though she's not completely sure about this, is that she feels like Yuya knows more about them than he's letting on especially since his brother supposedly taught him those methods around a few years ago. She felt like she was left in the dust compared to him especially since he learned Pendulum Summoning and that bothered her a little. She just honestly wonders exactly how strong Yuya really is. She also had another question in mind, " _Was...Was Yuya holding back all of these years?"_ To be honest, she didn't know if that was true or not but it somewhat made sense. If Yuya was holding back his true strength, why did he? That's what she doesn't understand and she could see that he dodges the question sometimes when she asked a couple times before about when he learned them. She doesn't know what to think other than what reason does Yuya have to keep quiet about it all of these years?

Rin raised her hand up as she had a question as well, "Um...what is Xyz Summoning?" She has heard of Fusion Summoning from the hooded boy since he used it against her in their duel but she has never heard of Xyz Summoning.

Yuzu looked at her surprised, "You don't know it?"

Rin shook her head, "It's the first time I've heard of it."

As Ruri was watching, she honestly wanted to help out by explaining what Xyz Summoning is but then she remembered that she's trying to be careful around. If he finds out that she knows how to Xyz Summon, he could get suspicious about her and that wouldn't be good. The only thing she could do was sigh in disappointment.

However, Yuya smiled a little while he looked at them, "I can tell you how it works." That caught everyone's attention as Yuya then got up and walked to the board. He proceeded to draw something as everyone was curious by what he was doing except for Sora who just narrowed his eyes while he was still eating.

Yuya turned toward the others while showing what he drew, "First of all, Xyz Summoning is a summoning method used in the Extra Deck similar to both Fusion and Synchro Summoning. In order to Xyz Summon, you need monsters that have the same level and most Xyz Monsters require at least two of them." He then pointed to a monster card which had two underneath it, "When you Xyz Summon, the monsters used to Xyz Summon don't go the Graveyard; instead, they remain on the field and are used as Overlay Units for Xyz Monsters in order to activate their effects." He then pointed at a black star different from a level star, "Finally, Xyz Monsters don't have Levels; instead, they have Ranks like if you overlay 2 Level 5 Monsters, you Xyz Summon a Rank 5 Xyz Monster." He then bowed a little, "And that's about the jist of it."

Everyone looked at Yuya surprised before clapping their hands while smiling; they were impressed by Yuya's brief explanation of Xyz Summoning. Sora, however, just narrowed his eyes even more as the applause continued.

Shuzo looked at Yuya with a smile, "That was a pretty good explanation Yuya. Thank you."

Yuya just sheepishly smiled while the others were smiling as well until Sora stood up, "Well, I guess I could give an explanation on how Fusion Summoning is the best summoning method."

The others looked at him confused by the slight hostility in his voice, after hearing Yuya explaining Xyz Summoning and the others praising him for it, except for Ruri who just frowned, knowing what that meant.

However, they all heard Gongenzaka's voice outside, "You said he ambushed him?! Yuya would never do something that cowardly!"

Everyone turned to where the voice was and Yuya was confused, "Gongenzaka?" Everyone then proceeded to walk out of the classroom towards outside. Yuya and Shuzo were the first to exit outside and they saw Gongenzaka standing outside arguing with Sawatari's three friends.

Shuzo looked at them all with a serious look, "What's going on here?"

Gongenzaka turned around and looked at them, "Oh, Principal! I, the man Gongenzaka, was out running for my leg training, when I spotted these three suspicious male figures peeking into our duel school, and when I questioned them they said that Yuya ambushed someone last night, unforgivable!" Gongenzaka then turned to look at the three who were all smiling smugly. Gongenzaka had a feeling that they might be talking about this Yuto person since he supposedly has the same face as his best friend.

Shuzo looked shocked when he heard that and Yuya was surprised, "I ambushed them? _Are they talking about Yuto?_ " He knows that Yuto supposedly has the same face as him so they probably mistaken Yuto for himself. Knowing that could be the case, Yuya just narrowed his eyes at them.

Kakimoto looked at him with a smirk, "That's right and don't play dumb. You know exactly what we are talking about _Knight-kun_." Yuya raised an eyebrow in confusion, not knowing what he meant by Knight-kun.

Ootomo nodded, "We were there and we saw you with our own eyes."

Yamabe also looked at him with a smirk, "There were four, no _five_ witnesses present!"

Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes at them, "Five people you said?" Yuya also narrowed his eyes as they both knew the fifth since they was just told about it, " _Yuzu."_

The three of them still had smirk on their faces as Yamabe spoke up, "That's right. Us, Sawatari…" He then pointed at Yuzu who just exited the building with the others, "...and her as well!"

Gongenzaka turned around and looked at Yuzu while Yuzu was frowning a little. Yuya turned to look at her as well, both wondering how she was going to handle this.

Yuzu looked hesitate to say what she saw and Shuzo looked at her, "What did you see?"

Ootomo spoke up, "The face of the culprit! The son of the soon-to-be Mayor, Sawatari's assaulter, Yuya Sakaki!" The three of them then pointed at Yuya.

Ruri had her eyes narrowed in confusion, " _Did Yuto really hurt Sawatari?"_ It honestly couldn't be true as she knows her friend wouldn't intentionally harm someone so they must be lying as well. Since Gongenzaka and Rin knew the story as well, they just glared at them for trying to pin the blame on Yuya or lying about Sawatari's condition as Yuzu didn't say anything about Sawatari being injured.

Yuya just looked at them with his narrowed eyes, "I'm not the one who attacked Sawatari." He honestly couldn't say that it was Ruri's friend as he didn't want him to get in trouble even though he doesn't know him. Besides, he has a feeling that this they might be using this an excuse to get revenge on him by lying about Sawatari's condition.

He then heard Futoshi's angry voice, "Stop lying!" He saw how he, Tatsuya, and Ayu were standing in front of him while Sora was next to him eating candy. Tatsuya shouted, "Big Bro Yuya would never do something like that!" Ayu nodded, "The one who attacked first was Sawatari! And Big Sis Yuzu went to stop him by dueling him!"

Shuzo came over to Ayu and looked at her shocked, "W-Wait so the one who dueled Sawatari wasn't Yuya but Yuzu?!" Ayu nodded, then he looked troubled, "And her opponent was-?!" Ayu looked towards the three boys, "Sawatari!"

Shuzo then got a look of panic on his face, "Then that means...That one who ambushed him was Yuzu?!" The three kids glared at him, "That's wrong!"

Sawatari's three friends sighed tiredly before Kakimoto said, "We just said it was Yuya Sakaki!" They then glared at Yuya before Ootomo said, "He's the one who attacked Sawatari!"

Yamabe then got a depressed look on his face, "I feel so sorry for Sawatari, he was injured so badly that he was hospitalized!"

Yuya's eyes widened a little, "Hospitalized?" Sure, he still thinks they're lying; he couldn't help but wonder if Sawatari is okay or not regardless of what he did to him before. He hasn't forgiven him but he would never want him injured. Yuzu had her eyes widened a little in surprise and then frowned a little when she heard, " _Sawatari didn't look that injured to me…"_ She then decided to wait until they were finished.

Yamabe looked really sad and worried, "His life might be at risk!"

Kakimoto glared at Yuya, "If anything happens to Sawatari, how will you take responsibility Yuya Sakaki?!"

Yuya was getting a little irritated that they weren't listening, "I told you before that it wasn't me who attacked Sawatari!"

Ootomo was still smirking and looked at Yuzu, "Well then, perhaps _Yuzu Hiragi-chan_ begs to differ because we also heard her say your name when you took off the mask!"

Yuya turned towards Yuzu and everyone else as well, wondering what Yuzu has to say about it. Yuzu still looked a little troubled over everything that has happened before finding her resolve and belief in her best friend. She had a fierce look of determination on her face, "I will admit, at first I thought it was you, Yuya, when I saw you but I know better. He wasn't the one who attacked Sawatari!"

The three boys were taken aback a little from Yuzu defending Yuya as they weren't expecting this. Everyone else smiled at Yuzu's belief especially Yuya. Mikleo, who arrived around a couple minutes ago, heard everything and smiled as well and decided to show his presence by walking closer to them from the wall he was leaning on.

The other three got over their surprise by shaking their heads and still smiled smugly. Yamabe looked at Yuya, "Well, it doesn't matter anyway because…" He stopped talking as he noticed Mikleo approaching and had a look of fear on his face as well Ootomo and Kakimoto. They knew that it was same guy that beat them up so badly last time and they reminded of it when they saw him.

All three of them looked scared, "Ahh…!"

Everyone else noticed Mikleo walking and stopped nearby Yuya and Yuzu. Shuzo, Gongenzaka, and Rin didn't understand why they looked afraid when Mikleo arrived except for the others who wondered what he was going to do.

Mikleo, however, just looked at them with a calm smile, "What's the matter?" There was also a hint of smugness in his voice as well since he knew why they were afraid but chose not to show it.

While they were still frightened, Kakimoto still managed to speak while stuttering, "...A-Anyway, if something happens to Sawatari, the cops will arrest you!"

Shuzo looked shocked, "A-Arrest Yuya?!"

The others were shocked as well that Yuya might be arrested for something he didn't do. Ruri was also wondering if Yuto did really hurt Sawatari or not and for what reason? For now, she chose to focus on that later as she wants to defend Yuya first.

Mikleo looked like he wanted to hurt these guys after hearing that his little brother might be arrested for something he didn't do. He cracked his knuckles which made the three of them jump back in fear and surprise, frightened by what he might do to them.

Shuzo, however, was looking at Yuya and Yuzu with a confused expression on his face, "Explain what happened from the start properly!"

Before anybody could do anything else, they all heard a car stopping next to them and saw a limousine parked in front of You Show. One of the doors opened and a woman stepped out, "Let me explain it all to you."

Shuzo's eyes widened in surprise, "You're...from LDS!"

Himika smiled at him, "Yes, I am the current chairwoman of LDS. My name is Himika Akaba."

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, " _Akaba? Wait, isn't she Reiji's…?"_ He was thinking that this woman might be Reiji's mother and wondered what she was doing here. Mikleo narrowed his eyes at her as he had the same thoughts as well along with another one that was of irritation.

A little while later all of them went inside You Show in order to discuss something. In front of the You Show building, Nakajima handed the three boys each an envelope, "Good work, here's your payment." The three friends took the envelopes and held them out in order to opened. They opened and smiled as they saw the rare card they each wanted inside the envelopes.

Meanwhile, inside You Show, Himika was sitting on a couch across from another that Shuzo was sitting in while the others were standing around them, listening to the conversation.

Himika was smiling as she looked at Shuzo, "Everything they said is the truth. The fact that one of our LDS students, Shingo Sawatari, was attacked as well as his statement that the culprit is Yuya Sakaki who is currently enrolled as a student at this Duel School."

Shuzo looked at Yuya, "Well Yuya? Did you really have something to do with this?" He really doesn't believe that Yuya would do something like this, but he needs to hear from him to see if he's telling the truth or not.

Yuya shook his head at him, "I didn't. I would never do such a thing."

Gongenzaka was looking at Yuya with resolve, "I, the man Gongenzaka, believe in my friend Yuya!" He looked at the others, "It's the same for all of you isn't it?"

Futoshi looked at him with a serious face, "Of course we do!" Ayu and Tatsuya nodded in agreement as well as they knew Yuya would never do such a thing.

Ruri held her hand to her heart as she smiled, "Even though I've only known for a short time, I know Yuya isn't the kind of person to hurt someone either!"

Rin nodded as she had a look of resolve on her face, "Me too! I believe in Yuya as well!"

Sora, while he was still eating candy, just nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and said, "Yuya's too nice to hurt someone anyway…" Although he didn't show it, he doesn't think Yuya would do this anyway in the short amount of time he spent with him. Though he's not sure why he decided to show support as well.

Mikleo just let out a small smile and nodded in agreement as well since he knows his brother the best out of all of them.

Gongenzaka looked at Yuzu, waiting for her response. She was silent for a second before showing her resolve as well, "I believe in you as well, Yuya."

Shuzo had a smirk on his face as he saw the support Yuya was given, especially based on his response that he knew Yuya didn't do it.

Himika looked at the scene, "Oh my, what strong bonds you have. It seems it would be unreasonable for me to ask you to hand Yuya over." She then turned her gaze back to Shuzo, "However, we can't back down from this either." Shuzo was confused by what she meant by that.

Himika then had a serious look on her face, "If rumors spread that a student from LDS, the world's #1 Duel School, lost in a duel, it would bring forth immense damage to our reputation!"

Shuzo looked at her while he held out a hand, "But our Yuya wasn't the one who attacked…"

Himika, however, interrupted him there, "That is no longer relevant!" Everyone else looked at her shocked while Mikleo just narrowed his eyes even more, annoyed by her attitude.

Himika narrowed her eyes as she stood up, "The problem here is the symbol of LDS has been dragged through the mud! The only way to clear up this disgrace is a duel between Duel Schools!"

Shuzo looked at her shocked and a little frightened by her scary attitude, "A duel?!" Everyone looked at her shocked, except for Sora, who just had a smirk on his face, and Mikleo who just frowned.

Himika then sat down with her eyes closed and smiled, "If your party wins, then we will ignore the case concerning Sawatari." Her smile grew as she looked at Shuzo, "But if we win, we will have you make this Duel School as a part of Leo Duel School!"

Yuya looked at her with wide eyes, "What?" Yuzu was shocked as well, "No way!" Neither of them were thrilled by that news as that would mean that the school both of their fathers built together would no longer be run by them and that didn't sit well with them at all.

Gongenzaka looked at her with an angry look, "So clearing your name isn't enough for you? You have to stoop so low by taking over You Show Duel School?!"

Shuzo looked at her, "Chairwoman Akaba, I have heard that you've acquired many other Duel Schools across the world. Am I right in saying that You Show Duel School has become your next target?"

When he saw her smile in response, he had a bad feeling, "Don't tell me that...You set up the entire attack on Sawatari just for this?!"

Himika looked offended, "That is not the case!" She then smiled, "But, it is true that I took advantage of an opportunity given to me. The chance for LDS to have Pendulum Summoning as the fifth pillar along with Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz. Don't you think that, up until now, you've been blessed with quite an amazing gift?" Yuya and Yuzu looked at Shuzo who looked down in response since he knew she was right but didn't want to admit it.

Himika looked at him with a smile, "Using the skills and abilities of our Leo Corporation to add Pendulum Summoning to our LDS curriculum, there are many students who aspire to use Pendulum Summoning just as Yuya has." She then looked at the three young kids, "The same is for you all as well?"

Tatsuya looked at her troubled, "B-But if you don't have Big Bro Yuya's Pendulum Cards to Pendulum Summon…"

Himika chuckled a little, "That can also be resolved by the power of our Leo Corporation. That is why it is necessary for us to unite."

Himika had a small smirk on her face, " _Along with that, we will be able to investigate who exactly Yuya Sakaki is…"_ She then turned her eyes slightly towards him, " _Is he an enemy of me and Reiji or maybe…"_

Yuya narrowed his eyes and looked like he was about to speak before everyone heard Mikleo speaking, "Pardon me, Himika Akaba…" Everyone turned their attention to Mikleo who was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.

He then had an amused smile on his face as he held out his right hand, "I couldn't help but wonder if you're always this petty with business nowadays."

Himika narrowed her eyes at him, "What?" Everyone was confused by what Mikleo was doing as he walked closer towards Himika.

He stopped just in front of her as he looked down on her with the same smile, "After all, whoever said that LDS was the #1 Duel School in the world?" He then walked around the room, "Since you just confirmed that Sawatari was defeated in a duel by a supposed _thug_ , would that mean that you don't have the best teachers since _your student_ lost to a _nobody_."

Himika narrowed her eyes even more at him, not liking this boy's attitude towards her though he did say some some truth but she wouldn't admit it.

He then turned toward her, "Especially since even though you teach multiple summoning methods at LDS, your teachers must have been pathetic if you're shaken this much since you have mostly weak duelists attending anyway."

Himika was slowly but surely getting more angry as she kept hearing what Mikleo was saying, " _This boy has got quite a mouth on him."_

He then sat on the couch to look at Himika again, "In fact, the only _great_ duelist you have at LDS is probably your son, Reiji."

Himika was irritated that this boy was mocking her school's reputation but was confused as to how this boy knows her son as well.

Yuya and Shuzo's eyes widened in surprise as they heard Mikleo mentioning Reiji's name; Sora narrowed his eyes while the others looked confused as to who this Reiji person was.

Mikleo then glared at her, "Plus, there's the fact that _your student_ , Sawatari, attacked Yuya first by wanting his Pendulum Cards so he tarnished your reputation first."

Himika looked really angry, "...There's no proof of that event ever occurring."

Mikleo just shrugged his shoulders in response, "I could say the same thing about you accusing my brother but what do I know?"

Himika narrowed his eyes at him, "What is your point?"

Mikleo just smiled amused while also shrugged his shoulders again, "Nothing really. I just like to get the facts straight before we settle this." He then held out a hand, "Plus, I find your _bitch_ attitude amusing in this situation."

Himika's eyes widened in anger as she heard what he referred her as and she was definitely not happy. She was absolutely livid that this boy had the nerve to insult her and LDS in front of her. She was so angry that she couldn't find the words to speak yet, " _Why you…!"_

Meanwhile, the others were shocked by the display of attitude Mikleo was showing towards Himika. Shuzo was more shocked that he had the guts to insult her like that. Yuzu, Gongenzaka, Tatsuya, Ayu, Futoshi, Ruri, and Rin were all surprised by Mikleo's unusual behavior since he had never act like this before in front of them. Sora, however, looked amused by the display while he was still eating candy. Yuya, however, knew somewhat why his brother was acting like this and just sweatdropped a little in response.

Himika was seething her teeth and clenching her fists as she glared at Mikleo, "Who...Who do you think you are?!" She then stood up, "Do you have any idea what I do to people like you?"

Mikleo just shrugged his shoulders, "Don't know, don't care. Especially when it involves someone like you." Mikleo narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms, "People like you shouldn't even be involved in dueling but I guess fate decided to be funny. What do you think dueling even is anyway?"

Himika narrowed her eyes even more and scoffed, "...Dueling is for determining who stands on top of the world. It is about power and who controls what by how skilled you are. Someone insignificant like you couldn't possibly understand." She said this with venom in her voice, showing her newfound disdain for the male in front of her.

Mikleo didn't really say anything although he had the look of someone who was expecting that type of answer. Before he could say anything, Yuya decided to speak which brought both of their attention.

"Dueling is not a duel meant to be used for fighting." He grabbed his pendulum as he narrowed his eyes at Himika, "And I definitely won't let anyone take You Show Duel School away from us. You Show is a school that my father created for entertainment duels and is meant to teach others how to entertain as well as having a fun duel. I refuse to give it to someone like you who thinks they can flaunt whatever they want with a little money or power."

Himika narrowed his eyes at him when he said that. Even though she doesn't know him that well, she already doesn't like him or his brother for that matter.

Gongenzaka placed a hand on Yuya's shoulder as he and the others smiled at him, "Well said, Yuya! I, the man Gongenzaka, agree wholeheartedly! In order to defend You Show, I will fight alongside you my friend!"

Sora, who had been sitting on a desk, jumped down and looked at his back, "But you're an outsider aren't you?" Gongenzaka then got a horrified look on his face as he didn't think about the little detail that he was not a part of You Show.

Sora walked over to Yuya, "If You Show students are going to fight together, then Yuzu, Ruri, Rin, Yuya, and I should do right?" He then looked at Himika, "I also wanted to fight against an LDS duelist too after all."

Gongenzaka then looked at Sora red with a face of anger, "To think you would exclude a man such as I, Gongenzaka!"

Himika narrowed her eyes a little, "It seems that your students' feelings are in line with each other." While she was still livid about the insults Mikleo gave her, she decided to suppress it for now as the plan was still in effect and she didn't want to cause any problems.

Shuzo then looked at her with a determined expression, "Mine are as well." All of them gathered behind him, "We won't hand over You Show Duel School!"

Himika sighed before smiling at Shuzo, "Well then, shall we begin?" Shuzo nodded as he got up and they both walked towards the school's duel arena.

However, before they could catch up with Shuzo and Himika, the others stayed behind to talk for a second.

Ayu looked at Mikleo amazed, "Big Bro Mikleo you're really brave to stand up to an old lady like that."

Gongenzaka nodded, "Indeed. You might have more manliness than I, Gongenzaka."

Sora had his hands behind his shoulders, "Gotta admit, I wasn't expecting that but it was entertaining."

Ruri was curious, "Where did that come from anyway?"

Rin nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I think that's the first time we've seen you like that."

Mikleo sighed as he rubbed his head, "...I just refused to keep quiet after hearing her talk such crap."

Yuya chuckled a little, "You did tell me before that you never did like businessmen."

Mikleo scoffed a little, "All that arrogant talk of "best for business" and taking away people's happiness for the sake of money and power gets to me, that's all. PR talk...they can keep it."

Mikleo then walked past them, "Anyway, we'd better hurry up." Everyone then followed him behind to catch up with Shuzo and Himika.

* * *

Himika and Shuzo stood across from each other in the duel arena. Yuya, Yuzu, Rin, Ruri and Sora were all around Shuzo while three other kids were around Himika. One was a boy that had purple hair while wearing a blue and purple jacket and white pants. One of the other two boys had brown, spiky hair while wearing a white jacket and dark pants; he was also carrying a wooden katana on his shoulder. The last of the three was a girl with dark skin and black hair while wearing a small blue shirt along with a cream one-piece long-sleeved shirt and shorts underneath and black skin-tight shorts underneath, above the knee, as well as blue boots.

Himika looked at Shuzo with a smile, "This will be a three vs. three match, and the first one who gets two wins is the victor. Is that good with you?" She then looked at the others, "So then, who will go first?"

Sora held up his arm with a smile, "Me!"

However, to his surprise, Yuya placed an arm in front of him, "Sorry Sora, but I'll go first." The others looked to him surprised by his decision.

Himika chuckled, "Of course, after all those other four don't seem reliable. If you'd want to finish this as soon as possible, then no other choice ma-"

However, an irritated Sora interrupted her, "Hold it! What are you talking about old lady! You don't even know how strong am I!"

A nervous and embarrassed Yuzu placed her hand on his head, "That's enough out of you." Rin then placed her hand on his head as well, "Be good now, Sora." Sora then got quiet but was still angry that he was being looked down upon. Even though she doesn't really trust him, Ruri couldn't help but giggle a little from the funny display Sora was showing.

Ruri was thinking about the situation she was in: she wanted to help defend You Show especially since Yuzu and her dad were kind enough to offer her a home for the time being. However, she's trying to avoid attention from Sora so if she duels then it's likely he will be suspecting her. She's not sure what to do other than watch for now. If she has to, then she'll defend You Show.

Himika closed her eyes, "But it is in your best interest if you don't think you'll win that easily. They are all in the same Junior Youth class as all of you but they are the aces of LDS' courses!"

She then turned towards the purple haired boy, "And the one who will be your opponent, Yuya, is…"

He stepped forward with a smirk, "LDS' Xyz Course Member, Hokuto Shijima."

Yuzu looked at him, "Xyz?" Ruri was a little surprised and curious as to how LDS teaches Xyz compared to her home.

Tatsuya was pressing on his duel disk while the others, who weren't dueling, looked to see. He was trying to find information about him and then found it with Ayu commenting, "Here he is! LDS' Hokuto Shijima!"

Futoshi looked at it, "His record is...58 matches with 53 wins?!" Tatsuya looked equally as shocked as Ayu and Futoshi, "But that means...that he has a win ratio of over 90%!"

Futoshi continued reading, "He's got the top scores in the Junior Youth Rank Testings!"

Ayu looked at the other two, "Forget the test scores, it says that he's favored to be one of the tournament winners!"

Shuzo walked over to Yuya, who had a determined expression on his face, "Whether he's an ace or a potential champion is nothing to be afraid of!" He then looked at Yuya, "Show them your strength Yuya, get your blood boiling!" He then got into a fighting position, which Yuya mimicked a little, "Yeah!"

Moments later, Yuya and Hokuto were standing inside the duel arena while the others were watching from the sidelines. Himika and the other two students, unlike some of You Show, didn't look worried at all.

Himika looked towards the control room for the duel arena, "Our students can handle any situation so choose whatever you like!"

Shuzo was looking at Hokuto, "Can handle anything you say? Then how about this!?" He then pressed a button, "Action Field, on! Field Magic: Cosmo Sanctuary! Activate!"

The Solid Vision System proceeded to create a dark sky with temple buildings around them and Yuya and Hokuto were standing on a pillar that was surrounded by a deep hole. Shuzo shouted out, "Use the power of the stars to fight, Yuya!"

Hokuto looked shocked for a second before then started laughing, shocking Shuzo and Yuya narrowed his eyes at him. Hokuto closed his eyes with a smirk on his face, "Of all things, you chose the field that suits _me_ the best!"

Shuzo got a horrified look on his face, "What did you say?!"

Sora looked at Shuzo with a disappointed look on his face, "Just looking at the name Hokuto, you can figure out that much…" Shuzo was stunned as he regretted not picking a field that better suited Yuya.

Yuya, however, didn't seem fazed by this and placed his duel disk on his arm as Hokuto did the same, "It doesn't matter if this field suits you or not, because I'll definitely win for You Show!"

Hokuto's smirk grew bigger, "Let's see if you can."

Ayu then began to say the chant, "Duelists locked into battle!"

Futoshi came up next to her, "Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air along with their monsters!"

Tatsuya then came up on Ayu's other side, "They storm through this field!"

All three of them were smiling as they shouted together, "Action…

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **HOKUTO LP: 4000**

Meanwhile, as the duel started, Reiji entered You Show and watching from one of the wall corners with his hood up. He was hoping to see more of Yuya's Pendulum Summoning and his progression as a duelist.

Yuya looked at Hokuto, "If you think I'll hand over You Show, you got another thing coming." Hokuto chuckled in response, not feeling worried at all.

Himika looked at Yuya with an amused smile, "Such confidence, though I wonder how long that will last. Now Hokuto, show us your abilities." Hokuto nodded his head, "Understood, chairwoman."

Hokuto placed his hand on his deck, "I'll be taking the first turn! Draw!"

He then grabbed a card in his hand, "I Normal Summon Sacred Dabaran ( **ATK: 1300** , DEF: 800, LV: 3)!" Hokuto summoned a warrior monster that had white armor and was carrying a red energy ring.

"When Sacred Dabaran is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 3 "Sacred" monster from my hand. I summon Sacred Leonis ( **ATK: 1000** , DEF: 1800, LV: 3)!" A monster with white armor along with glowing blue spikes and hair was summoned to the field. It was also wielding a blue sword on its right arm.

Hokuto held out his hand toward Leonis, "Leonis's monster effect allows me to Normal Summon again this turn! I Normal Summon Sacred Gredi ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 1400, LV: 4)!" Because of the effect of Leonis, Hokuto was able to summon another white armored monster that had a dark cape on and was wielding a staff in its hand.

Hokuto then had a smirk on his face, "Since Gredi was Normal Summoned, I can then Special Summon a Level 4 "Sacred" monster from my hand. I summon Sacred Kaust ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 700, LV: 4)!" A warrior, with half the body of a horse, in white armor that wielded a yellow bow was summoned to the field.

Hokuto held out his hand, "Now I activate Sacred Gredi's monster effect. Twice per turn, I can increase or decrease the level of one "Sacred" monster I control by 1. I increase the levels of both Gredi and Kaust!" Gredi used its bow to shoot showers of arrows in order to raise their levels when they were hit with them.

 **Sacred Kaust** ( **LV: 4** → **5** )  
 **Sacred Gredi** ( **LV: 4** → **5** )

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "2 Level 5 monsters and 2 Level 3 monsters...So you're about to-"

Hokuto smirked, "That's right." He then held out his hand, "I overlay my Level 5 Sacred Gredi and Kaust!" Both monsters turned into dark energy and went into a portal, shocking most of You Show students except for Ruri, Sora, and Mikleo.

"Light of the stars, come descend and shake this very earth! Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Sacred Pleiades ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 1500, RNK: 5, OVU: 2)!" Hokuto summoned a monster that had light purplish armor with blue underneath mostly around its arms along with golden metal around the outside of the armor. It was also carrying a sword that had a large handle on it.

Yuya looked at the monster summoned, " _Well, he's definitely not pulling any punches right now."_

Hokuto smirk grew larger, "And now I overlay Level 3 Leonis and Dabaran!" Both monsters turned into dark energy and went into a portal.

Tatsuya looked shocked, "He's going to Xyz Summon again?!"

"Warrior from the cosmos, shake the earth and all of the galaxy! Xyz Summon! Rank 3! Sacred Hyades ( **ATK: 1900** , DEF: 1100, RNK: 3, OVU: 2)!" Hokuto summoned a white armored monster in the head had the horns of a bull and it was also wielding a red energy whip with double spears at the whip's ends.

Yuzu looked surprised, "Two Xyz Summons in one turn?"

Rin looked curious, "So this is an Xyz Summon…" It was honestly the first time she had seen an Xyz Summon so of course she would be curious.

Futoshi looked like he was trying to remember something, "Um...What did Big Bro Yuya say about Xyz Summoning again?"

Tatsuya looked confused as well, "Well...I can't recall, it was only a short explanation." He then looked at Hokuto's Xyz Monsters, "But why do they have Ranks instead of Levels?"

Sora sighed a little, "Good grief. You don't remember?" That comment made everyone turn to face Sora.

Sora was smiling a little while looking up a little, "Xyz Summoning, first, requires you to use multiple monsters of the same level and that allows you to Special Summon a monster from the Extra Deck. Then, they change into an Xyz Monster who has a Rank equivalent to their Levels."

Ayu saw the floating orbs around both Pleiades and Hyades, "Then what are those lights orbiting around them?"

Sora looked at the monsters as well, "Overlay Units. Xyz Monsters use those in order to activate their effects." Hearing Sora's explanation made the kids intrigued by the summoning method. Ruri, although still a little bothered by Sora, didn't say anything as what he said was correct.

Hokuto grabbed a card in his hand, "Finally, I activate the Continuous Magic: Sacred Tempest. I end my turn."

Himika was smiling while looking at the duel, "If Yuya Sakaki was indeed the one who attacked Sawatari, I wonder how he will respond from seeing this Xyz Summoning."

Hokuto then smiled, "And since it is the End Phase, Sacred Tempest's effect activates! Since I control 2 "Sacred" Xyz Monsters, it halves my opponent's life points!" He then pointed to the sky which had meteors raining down towards Yuya. Yuya was so surprised by the assault that he barely managed to avoid getting hit but he still took the blasts.

 **YUYA LP: 4000** → **2000**

Yuzu yelled out while worrying about her friend, "Yuya!"

Hokuto seemed satisfied, "I'll make this quick and easy for my consecutive 41th win on my next turn."

Futoshi was upset by how this guy was willing to hurt Yuya, "What do you think a duel is?!"

Ayu agreed, "That's right!"

Hokuto was irritated by the kids' complaining while smiling, "Be quiet! A duel is a fight! If it's to win, you can't be picky about your methods!" However, to his surprise, Yuya seemed awfully calm about the situation he was in.

Yuya wiped some sweat from his forehead while sighing, "Gotta admit, that was pretty nasty but you're wrong about how dueling should be." He then let out a small smirk, "Especially if that's all you've got."

Hokuto narrowed his eyes at him, "What?"

Himika narrowed her eyes as well, "Oh? Well, someone is confident. I wonder how long that will last."

Reiji, however, was interested in how Yuya will respond and was watching more closely as he began his turn.

Yuya placed his finger on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He looked at his current hand and smiled.

He grabbed a card in hand, "First, I Normal Summon Entermate Sword Fish ( **ATK: 600** , DEF: 600, LV: 2)!" Sword Fish was summoned to the field in attack position.

"When Sword Fish is Normal Summoned, all of my opponent's monsters lose 600 attack and defense points!" Sword Fish made copies of itself and they rained down on both of Hokuto's monsters.

 **Sacred Pleiades** ( **ATK: 2500** → **1900** )  
 **Sacred Hyades** ( **ATK: 1900** → **1300** )

Yuya grabbed two other cards in his hand, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 3 Entermate Gold Fang and Scale 8 Entermate Odd-Eyes Unicorn!" Yuya placed both cards into their Pendulum Zones. Gold Fang was a wolf monster that looked similar to Silver Claw expect that it had brownish-yellow fur and was wearing a blue polka-dotted tie though what was more noticeable was that its large fang were golden. Odd-Eyes Unicorn was a blue unicorn with pink hair and dichromatic eyes along with wearing another polka-dotted tie.

Yuya smiled, "And now I can summon monsters with levels between 4 and 7 at the same time!" While he was chanting, he saw a vision of a new dragon that looked similar to his Odd-Eyes.

The giant pendulum appeared as Yuya chanted, "Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" Two monsters appeared out of the portal, "Appear! Stargazer Magician ( **ATK: 1200** , DEF: 2400, LV: 5, PS: 1) and, my new dragon, Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2700** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7, PS: 8)!" Stargazer Magician appeared on the field along with a black-colored dragon with dichromatic eyes and had a pendulum-shaped crystal on his back.

Ayu looked excited that Yuya performed a Pendulum Summon again, "There it is!"

Tatsuya smiled, "Big Bro Yuya has got a cool new dragon!"

Futoshi was doing a happy dance, "The shivers!"

Himika looked amazed, "So this is Pendulum Summoning!" From seeing this new summoning method which allows you to summon multiple monsters at once even ones with high levels, made her want Pendulum Summoning even more.

Hokuto narrowed his eyes while looking disappointed, "You're not going to use Xyz Summoning?"

Mostly everyone was expecting Yuya to either deny he uses Xyz Summoning or something similar but, to their surprise, he said something else.

Yuya just shrugged his shoulders while having a small smile on his face, "I don't think I'll need it to beat you."

Hokuto narrowed his eyes in irritation, wondering if he heard that right, "What?" He was surprised by Yuya's response and then started clenching his fists, " _Is...Is this guy really underestimating me?!"_

Sora, however, seemed amused by Yuya's response while narrowing his eyes a little with a smile, "This was within my expectations wasn't it..."

Reiji was curious about Yuya's response as well as where he got that new dragon of his. Because in the records of duels he has seen of Yuya, he had never seen him use it before which begs the question of where he received it. He continued to watch the duel with interest.

Yuya then pointed at Sword Fish, "First, since I Special Summoned monsters, Sword Fish's effect activates again! So now your monsters lose 600 attack and defense points again!" Once again, Sword Fish created copies of itself and rained down on Hokuto's monsters.

 **Sacred Pleiades** ( **ATK: 1900** → **1300** )  
 **Sacred Hyades** ( **ATK: 1300** → **700** )

Hokuto looked a little surprised by how his monsters were getting weaker and weaker, "What?"

Yuya smiled as he pointed at Arc Pendulum Dragon, "Battle! Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon attack Sacred Pleiades!" Odd-Eyes Arc's eyes glinted and its crystals were glowing brightly before unleashed a clear grayish blast from its mouth with crystal shards within the blast.

Hokuto, however, got over his shock and then smirked confidently as he pointed at Pleiades, "I activate Sacred Pleiades's monster effect. By using an Overlay Unit, I return one card on your field to your hand." Pleiades absorbed one of the orbs as it made Odd-Eyes Arc glow for a second before making disappear and returning it to Yuya's hand.

Tatsuya looked worried, "Big Bro Yuya's dragon is gone!"

Hokuto closed his eyes while still looking confident, "With this, you have nothing else you can do."

However, to everyone's surprise, Yuya was still smiling, "Are you sure about that?"

Hokuto looked confused and surprised by his response, "What?"

Yuya smiled confidently as he pointed at Stargazer Magician, "I had a feeling that was your plan which is why I'm activating Stargazer Magician's monster effect." Stargazer had his staff glowing while activating his effect.

"Once per turn, when another Pendulum Monster I control is returned to my hand by an opponent's effect, I can Special Summon a monster with the same name from my hand!" He grabbed the card he just added back to his hand, "Which also means that I summon back Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2700** )!" Odd-Eyes Arc returned to the field.

Yuya pointed at Sword Fish once again, "And because I Special Summoned a monster, Sword Fish's effect activates again!"

 **Sacred Pleiades** ( **ATK: 1300** → **700** )  
 **Sacred Hyades** ( **ATK: 700** → **100** )

Hokuto looked shocked and irritated, "What was that?!" He was starting to feel like he was in trouble which was a first for him.

Yuya smiled, "Now Odd-Eyes Arc attack Sacred Pleiades once again!" As Odd-Eyes Arc was charging its grayish blast, Yuya pointed at Odd-Eyes Unicorn, "At this moment, I activate Entermate Odd-Eyes Unicorn's pendulum effect! Once per turn, when an "Odd-Eyes" monster I control attack, I can target one "Entermate" monster on my field in attack position and my attacking monsters gains ATK equal to the ATK of my "Entermate" monster! Odd-Eyes Arc gains Sword Fish's ATK!" Both monster were glowing as Sword Fish transferred its strength over to Odd-Eyes Arc.

 **Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 2700** → **3300** )

Yuya was still smiling as he pointed at Pleiades, "Odd-Eyes Arc's attack continues!" Odd-Eyes Arc launched its blast towards Pleiades and destroyed it.

 **HOKUTO LP: 4000→1400**

Hokuto looked like he was really angry, "Damn you…! In all of my consecutive duels, you have damaged my never before touched life points!"

Yuya, however, didn't fazed by his anger, "Well, then I'm afraid that it is gonna get worse for you." He then pointed at Stargazer Magician, "Stargazer Magician attack Sacred Hyades!" Stargazer looked at Yuya surprised as he had never been used to attack before but he saw Yuya smiling in approval and then nodded in response. Stargazer used his staff to create magical slashes, "Horoscope Cutter!" Hyades was then cut into pieces and then destroyed. Hokuto step back a little in shock and grunted as he took the damage again.

 **HOKUTO LP: 1400→300**

Yuya pointed at Sword Fish, "Now for the final attack! Entermate Sword Fish attack Hokuto directly!" Sword Fish flew straight for Hokuto.

Hokuto looked shocked as he saw the attack coming, "My consecutive 41th win-!" He couldn't finish his sentence as the attack connected with Sword Fish hitting Hokuto with it hilt instead of its blade part which made him land on his back.

 **HOKUTO LP: 300→0**

 **YUYA: WIN  
** **HOKUTO: LOSE**

Everyone, except for Mikleo and Reiji, was stunned by what they just saw: Yuya defeating Hokuto in just one turn. Himika had a look of shock on her face while hiding part of it with a fan, " _He...He beat Hokuto...in one turn?!"_

The dark skinned girl was shocked, "He beat Hokuto so easily…"

The other boy carrying the katana was surprised but then had a look of interest on his face, "Heh. I think I might want to face this guy."

Meanwhile, the You Show students got over their shock and then began to cheer loudly for Yuya's victory. The You Show students and Gongenzaka shouted, "Alright!" Shuzo raised his fist in victory, "Hot Blooded!"

Reiji watched how Yuya won with a neutral expression on his face before having a small satisfied smile on his face, "You've definitely gotten better Yuya."

Mikleo seemed satisfied as well, " _Well done, little brother."_ He was a little happy that Yuya is finally deciding to use his true skills as a duelist.

After around a minute, Yuya walked out of the duel arena with a smile on his face, happy that he won the first duel for You Show. He soon heard three voices cry out to him, "Big Bro Yuya!"

He was then surprised as Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi all came over with happy smiles and crashed into him. They were hugging him while they were laughing.

Futoshi looked at him with a smile, "You gave me the shivers!" Ayu smiled as well, "Big Bro Yuya!"

Yuya then patted their heads with a smile, "Thanks for the support you guys, it helps a lot." The three looked at each other and smiled when they heard that.

As Yuya continued thanks the kids for the support, he heard Gongenzaka's voice, "Yuya!" He looked up and saw that Gongenzaka had a happy expression on his face with tears in his eyes as he quickly ran towards him.

The kids saw Gongenzaka and moved out of the way as he gave Yuya a bear hug in gratitude, "Well done!"

Gongenzaka cried as he hugged Yuya happily, "As expected as I, the man, Gongenzaka's best friend! I was so moved!"

Yuya sweatdropped a little, "Heh. Thanks Gongenzaka, I'm happy you were moved by the duel."

Gongenzaka then moved away from Yuya a little, realizing that he might have been hugging him too hard. Yuya, however, didn't mind since he was used to it. He laughed a little over how his big friend overreacted like usual but he knew that this one of Gongenzaka's way to show he cares so he didn't mind.

Ruri had a sweet smile on her face, "Congratulations, Yuya."

Rin had a smile on her face as well as she put hand on Yuya's shoulder, "Good job, Yuya. Now, we have one win for us."

Yuya nodded and smiled in response, "Thanks." He then heard Yuzu's voice, "Yuya." He turned to face her.

For some reason, Yuzu looked a little embarrassed and troubled, "Um...good job, Yuya."

Yuya was confused, "Uh...Thanks? What's wrong, Yuzu?"

Yuzu was waving her hands in front of her, "D-Don't get me wrong! I'm really happy that you won for us it's just...how good of a duelist are you really Yuya?" She was really happy that her best friend won but it was honestly too easy so either Hokuto was weaker than they thought or Yuya is actually better than he is letting on which is what she has been suspecting ever since she saw him Fusion Summoning and she heard that it was Mikleo who taught him both Fusion and Synchro Summoning. She wouldn't be bothered by it so much if she knew why Yuya hasn't told them anything about it.

The others were curious as to why Yuzu was asking that question and Sora was narrowing his eyes as this was the first time he heard something like this, " _What is she talking about?"_ He then looked at Yuya with curiosity.

Ayu was confused, "How good is Big Bro Yuya?" Futoshi was lost as well, "What do you mean, Big Sis Yuzu?" Tatsuya had a curious expression on his face, "Yeah, what's this about?"

Yuya looked surprised but then had a look like he was expecting that question and sighed, "Well...I…"

However, Mikleo interrupted him, "How about we tell you after we finish our business with LDS?" The others looked at him with curiosity and Yuya gave him a look of surprise on his face. Mikleo had a neutral look on his face before nodding which surprised Yuya even before nodding as well.

Yuya turned to face Yuzu, "Yeah. I think I'll tell you after we're done with this."

Yuzu looked at him seriously, "Promise?" Yuya sweatdropped a little and smiled, "Yeah, I promise."

Yuzu had a satisfied smile on her face, "Good. Cause you have been dodging the question these past few days." The others, except for Mikleo and Yuya, were still confused as to what she was talking about.

Yuya nodded and then turned to look at Sora, Ruri, Rin, and Yuzu, "Okay. So who's going next?"

Before anyone else could speak, Yuzu spoke with a determined expression on her face, "I'll go."

Gongenzaka looked at her while looking serious, "Are you sure?"

Yuzu looked like she had resolve, "Yeah. After all, You Show is riding on this after all so I want to fight for it as well."

Rin nodded, "I understand. Go for it Yuzu."

Ruri gave her a sweet smile, "We'll be rooting for you."

Yuzu smiled and nodded, "Yeah." She then looked determined, "I'll definitely win for You Show!" Yuya nodded in response with a smile, happy that Yuzu is determined and hadn't lost her resolve to fight.

Meanwhile, Himika was glaring at Hokuto who was on his knees with a depressed look on his face, "I can't believe you lost to someone from an insignificant duel school. You have put LDS' Xyz Course to shame."

She then looked at Yuya, " _But, Pendulum Summoning...Now I want it even more."_ She then narrowed her eyes in suspicion, " _Does Yuya Sakaki truly have around a 60% win rate? He won that duel far too easily…"_ She was suspicious that information Reiji had was not accurate but decided to drop it for now, " _No matter. As long we win the other two matches, it won't matter how strong he truly is."_

Himika then got a smirk on her face, "It's your turn next." The black haired girl stood up from the shadows, "Understood, Chairwoman."

The girl walked towards Yuya and the others; they turned towards her and looked at her, "I'm Masumi Kotsu, the ace of LDS' Fusion Course." Ruri's eyes widened in surprise when she revealed that she was from the fusion course.

Sora looked at her, a little interested, while holding some chocolate sticks, "Oh? So she's a fusion user?" He then placed the chocolate stick in his mouth and broke it off.

Masumi took out her duel disk and placed it on her arm, showing her determination to fight, "So, which one of you will be my opponent?"

Yuzu walked towards her, "I will be!" Masumi then looked at her with intense and determined eyes. Yuzu narrowed her eyes, " _In order to protect You Show and clear Yuya's name, I can't lose!"_

Masumi looked at her with a smirk before flipping her hair to the side which made Yuzu narrow her eyes even more. Moments later, both of them were in the duel arena with their duel disks activated and ready to start dueling.

Shuzo looked through the different action fields with a smile, "Let's see, a field that suits my cute daughter would be…" He then pressed a button, "This one!" The Solid Vision System activated, "Action Field on! Field Magic: Crystal Corridor!"

A field of crystals and corridors of mirrors appeared in the arena and it also had crystal stairs that went up into the air. Shuzo stood up and shouted Yuzu with a smile, "Yuzu! I picked a field that perfectly matches your dazzling cuteness! So shine to your heart's content!"

Yuzu looked up to Shuzo embarrassed, "Geez Dad…!" She loved her father with all of her heart but she really wished that he would stop doing stuff like this as it was really embarrassing.

Masumi chuckled a little which made Yuzu turn to face her, "To call someone like you dazzling, that's some incredible nepotism."

Yuzu glared at her, "What was that?"

Masumi narrowed her eyes a little, "Someone like you won't be able to beat me."

Yuzu narrowed her eyes, "And why is that?"

Masumi smiled a little, "My father is a jeweler and I have seen plenty of gems growing up, ones that truly dazzle, true gems. And right now, I sense the talent you have as a duelist and it won't be enough."

Yuzu was getting angry as she was clearly being underestimated, "Oh yeah? Well, you don't know what I've been through as a duelist so you can't make that accusation!"

Masumi was still smiling, "Maybe not. But I'm just pointing out what I'm seeing right in front of me. Nothing more." She then activated and held out her duel disk, "If you think I'm wrong, then try and prove it to me."

Yuzu then activated her duel disk as well while looking determined, "Looks can be deceiving. And I'll prove it in this duel and for You Show!"

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUZU LP: 4000  
** **MASUMI LP: 4000**

Masumi placed her fingers on her deck, "I'll go first, draw!" She then grabbed a card in her hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Gem-Knight Fusion from my hand! With this card, I can Fusion Summon using Gem-Knight monsters in my hand or field!"

Yuzu was a little surprised that Masumi decided to Fusion Summon this early, "What?" Ruri frowned a little by what Masumi declared. Sora narrowed his eyes in response.

Masumi held out two cards in her hand, "The monsters I will fuse are Gem-Knight Obsidia and Gem-Knight Saphire!" Both monsters were then sucked into a colorful vortex.

"Gems of molten lava, beautiful sapphire of the seas! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a dazzling new radiance! Fusion Summon! Come forth, strong knight of heroism! Level 8! Gem-Knight Zirconia ( **ATK: 2900** , DEF: 2500, LV: 8)!" Masumi summoned a monster that resembled a blue and gray knight with a purple cape. It had a blue zirconia gemstone in its chest along with zirconia as its hands.

Masumi then grabbed a card from her Graveyard, "And because Gem-Knight Obsidia was sent from my hand to the Graveyard, I can now summon a Level 4 or below Normal monster from my Graveyard! I summon back Gem-Knight Saphire (ATK: 0, **DEF: 2100** , LV: 4)!" A knight in light blue armor along with sapphire gemstones covering its body appeared on the field.

Masumi smiled, "I end my turn with that."

Yuzu said, "My turn, draw!" She looked at her cards before grabbing one in her hand, "When you control a monster on your field and I don't, I can Special Summon Solo the Melodious Songstress ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4) from my hand!" Yuzu summoned a young female monster that was wearing a red polo dress with purple underneath, red high heels, and a dark red helmet with yellow wings attached to it.

Yuzu grabbed another card, "And next since I control a "Melodious" monster on my field, I can Special Summon Sonata the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1200** , DEF: 1000, LV: 3) from my hand!" Yuzu summoned a yellow female monster with light green and blue hair while also wearing a blue dress with musical notes on the design and having blue and green wings attached to her back.

Yuzu pointed at Sonata, "When Sonata is Special Summoned, as long as it's on my field, all Fairy-type monsters I control gain 500 ATK and DEF!"

 **Solo the Melodious Songstress** ( **ATK: 1600** → **2100** , DEF: 1000→1500)  
 **Sonata the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 1200** → **1700** , DEF: 1000→1500)

Masumi looked at Yuzu's monsters, "That won't make a difference if they're still weaker than my own monsters."

But Yuzu wasn't done, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Fortissimo which lets the ATK of a "Melodious" monster I control by 800 until my next Standby Phase. I choose Solo!"

 **Solo the Melodious Songstress** ( **ATK: 2100** → **2900** )

Yuzu pointed at Zirconia, "Battle! Solo the Melodious Songstress attack Gem-Knight Zirconia!" Solo charged forward while glowing a little bit.

Ayu was confused, "Eh? Why is Big Sis Yuzu attacking?" Futoshi was lost as well, "They both have the same ATK don't they?" Tatsuya was curious, "Is she hoping to destroy them both?"

Yuya then gave a confident smile, "Sort of. But Solo's got a special effect that will help Yuzu." He said that as he remembered its effect from the duels they had each other before. The others looked at Yuya curious before turning to the duel to see what happens.

Solo charged and collided with Zirconia who brought out its gem fist towards Solo who countered with a kick. The forces of the attacks created an explosion, destroying them both.

However, Yuzu then smiled, "When Solo is destroyed by battle, I can then Special Summon a "Melodious" monster from my deck!"

Masumi looked at her curiously, "I see. So that's why you had them destroy each other."

Yuzu took a card from her deck and placed on her duel disk, "Enchanting melody echoing in the heaven. Awaken the sleeping virtuoso. Come forth, Level 8! Prodigy Mozart the Melodious Maestra ( **ATK: 2600** → **3100** , DEF: 2000→2500, LV: 8)!" Yuzu summoned an adult-like female monster wearing a red dress, had light brown hair, had butterfly wings on her back that also had a piano-like design on them, and she was carrying a music conductor baton in her right hand.

Tatsuya looked excited, "I see! That was her plan!" Futoshi was excited as well, "There it is, a Level 8!" Ayu looked happy to see it, "It's Big Sis Yuzu's ace monster!"

Yuya looked happy see it as well since he knew that since he had Odd-Eyes, Yuzu had her Mozart as well. Ruri and Rin were curious about Yuzu's ace monster as well.

Yuzu pointed at Saphire, "Prodigy Mozart attacks Gem-Knight Saphire! Graceful Wave!" Mozart waved her baton around before singing which created a blast that destroyed Saphire.

"And Sonata attacks you directly!" Sonata sung a song which also created a blast that pushed Masumi back a little by a few feet.

 **MASUMI LP: 4000** → **2300**

Ayu was happy, "She did it!" Futoshi was feeling dancing a little, "Shivers!" Yuya was smiling, "Great work, Yuzu!" Ruri was cheering as well, "You're doing great!" Rin raised her fist, "Keep going Yuzu!"

Yuzu raised her fist, "How was that?"

Masumi brushed some dirt off her shoulder and then flipped her hair. She then smiled at Yuzu, "Not bad. Seems you do have some skill. But don't think you've won just yet."

Yuzu chose not to say anything else except when she grabbed a card from her hand, "I set a card and end my turn."

Masumi drew her card, "My turn, draw!" She looked at what she drew and smiled.

She put the card in her hand before moving her hand out, "I activate Gem-Knight Fusion's effect! When it's in the Graveyard, I can banish a "Gem-Knight" monster from my Graveyard to add it back to my hand! I banish Gem-Knight Obsidia in order to add it back to my hand." She banished Obsidia before adding Gem-Knight Fusion back to her hand.

Yuzu was a little surprised, "She can add it back her hand? That means she can Fusion Summon again."

Masumi smiled, "Now, you're starting to get it." She placed the card she added into her duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Gem-Knight Fusion again and fuse Gem-Knight Ganet and Gem-Knight Lapis in my hand!" A red knight and a light brown, vagenta knight went into the colorful vortex.

"Gemstones of the burning flames, little soldier of the earth! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a dazzling new radiance! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Gem-Knight Rubyz ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 1300, LV: 6)!" Masumi summoned a dark red knight with a blue cape and had ruby gemstones on some of its armor. It was also carrying a spear-like weapon in its hands.

Ruri was still a little bothered by seeing Fusion Summoning. Sure, she can't feel any malice from Masumi when summoning her Fusion Monsters but it still bothers her to see it other than the time she saw Yuya summoning his. Sora, however, caught her frowning for some reason and narrowing his eyes in suspicion before turning back to the duel and continued eating.

Yuzu was surprised but then maintained her composure, "But Rubyz doesn't have enough ATK to defeat Mozart."

Masumi didn't response as she raised a card in her hand, "I Normal Summon Gem-Armadillo ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 500, LV: 4)!" She summoned an orange armadillo that had red gemstones on each side of it and it had missile-like objects on its back.

"When Gem-Armadillo is Normal Summoned, I can add a "Gem-Knight" monster from my Deck to my hand." Masumi add a card to her hand and then she grabbed another one.

She pointed at Rubyz, "I activate the effect of Gem-Knight Rubyz! By tributing a "Gem-" monster on my field, I can increase the ATK of Rubyz equal to amount of the tributed monster's ATK! I tribute Gem-Armadillo in order to increase the ATK of Rubyz by 1700!" Gem-Armadillo was tributed as Rubyz glowed and gained more strength.

 **Gem-Knight Rubyz** ( **ATK: 2500** → **4200** )

Yuzu was surprised by how stronger she made Rubyz and was now a little concerned. Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes, "So now Rubyz is stronger than both of Yuzu's monsters." Yuya didn't say anything but was silent pleading for Yuzu to be okay.

Masumi continued her turn, "I now activate the Continuous Magic: Brilliant Fusion which allows me to Fusion Summon using "Gem-Knight" monsters from my Deck!"

Yuzu looked shocked, "From your Deck?!" She wasn't aware that there were effect that allowed you to Fusion Summon using monsters from your deck.

Tatsuya looked shocked, "No way! From her Deck?!"

Sora looked a little curious, "Eh? She's actually not bad." While he doesn't think Masumi's Fusion Summoning is nothing special, he will admit that she is pretty good.

Masumi grabbed three cards from her Deck, "I fuse Gem-Knight Roumaline, Gem-Knight Nacre and Gem-Knight Larim from my Deck!" A yellow knight, silver knight and a sky blue knight all went into a colorful vortex.

"Gem tinged with lightning, silver gem of ruins, and ancient gem of the sea! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance! Fusion Summon! Appear! Supreme radiance who illuminates everything! Gem-Knight Master Dia ( **ATK: 2900** , DEF: 2500, LV: 9)!" Masumi summoned her ace monster which is a large warrior in white armor with gems on the design and it also wielded a large sword that had different colored gems on the blade part of it.

Masumi looked at Yuzu, "This is my ace monster as you introduced yours to me." Yuzu narrowed her eyes at the monster as she wondered what kind of effects it has.

Masumi pointed at Master Dia, "However, the monster summoned using Brilliant Fusion has its ATK and DEF reduced to 0."

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 2900** → **0** , DEF: 2500→0)

Futoshi looked confused, "Huh? Then why did she summon it in the first place?"

Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes, "She must have some sort of plan since there's a reason she brought it out."

"It's the effect of Brilliant Fusion." Everyone turned to Sora who was watching closely, wondering what he meant by that before turning back towards the duel.

Masumi looked at Yuzu, "Master Dia gains 300 ATK for every "Gem-" monster in my Graveyard."

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 0** → **2400** )

Yuzu narrowed her eyes, " _That's still not enough though. I get the feeling she's not done yet."_

She was correct as Masumi smiled and brought her hand out, "I banish Gem-Knight Saphire in order to add Gem-Knight Fusion back to my hand again." Saphire was banished as Masumi added a card back to her hand again.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 2400** → **2100** )

Yuzu looked at Masumi, "So you're going to Fusion Summon again?"

Masumi, however, then smiled, "Not quite. I activate the effect of Brilliant Fusion." She then sent Gem-Knight Fusion to the Graveyard, "Once per turn, by sending a Magic Card from my hand to Graveyard, Master Dia gains its original ATK and DEF back until the end of my opponent's next turn!"

Yuzu's eyes widened in shock, "What did you say?"

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 2100** → **5000** )

Ruri looked a little worried, "This is bad! Now Masumi has two monsters stronger than Yuzu's."

Masumi smiled as she pointed at Rubyz, "Battle! Gem-Knight Rubyz attack Prodigy Mozart!" Rubyz charged its spear with red energy before flying towards Prodigy Mozart.

Rin looked concerned, "Look out, Yuzu!"

However, Yuzu didn't seemed worried as she pressed a button on her duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Cibell's Dance! Now my "Melodious" monsters can't be destroyed by battle this turn and the damage I take from these battles are halved!" Prodigy Mozart and Sonata were glowing a little bit before Rubyz hit Mozart with its spear but she wasn't destroyed.

 **YUZU LP: 4000** → **3450**

Ruri sighed in relief, "Now she's safe for this turn."

Masumi narrowed her eyes before pointing at Master Dia, "Master Dia attack Sonata!" Master Dia swung its sword at Sonata and it connected but Sonata wasn't destroyed.

 **YUZU LP: 3450** → **1800**

Masumi looked at Yuzu, "I end my turn. And the effect of Gem-Knight Rubyz ends as well."

 **Gem-Knight Rubyz** ( **ATK: 4200** → **2500** )

She then flipped her hair to the side again, "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to survive this turn but it won't change anything."

Yuzu placed her fingers on her deck, "We'll see. My turn, draw!"

She then pointed at Prodigy Mozart, "I activate Prodigy Mozart's monster effect! Once per turn, it allows me to summon a LIGHT Fairy-type monster from my hand! I summon Baila the Melodious Diva (ATK: 1300→1800, **DEF: 1700** → **2200** , LV: 4)!" Yuzu summoned a young female monster that had red hair and was wearing a purple dress. It also had white angel wings on its back along with wearing red high heels and a necklace.

"Since Baila was Special Summoned, I get to add a "Melodious" card from my Deck to my hand." Yuzu added a card to her hand before putting her hand out.

"I activate the effect of Fortissimo and target Prodigy Mozart this time!"

 **Prodigy Mozart the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 3100** → **3900** )

Yuzu pointed at Baila, "I activate Baila the Melodious Diva's monster effect! I choose one other "Melodious" monster I control and I choose Prodigy Mozart; Baila cannot attack for the rest of the turn but Mozart gains ATK equal to Baila's ATK!" Baila shined brightly as she transferred her energy over to Mozart.

 **Prodigy Mozart the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 3900** → **5700** )

Masumi was surprised by how strong Yuzu made her monster as was taken aback a little.

Yuya raised his fist in excitement, "Alright! If Mozart attacks Rubyz then Yuzu wins the duel!" He was doing his best to cheer on his childhood friend.

Rin cheered, "Go for it, Yuzu!"

Yuzu smiled as she pointed at Mozart, "Battle! Prodigy Mozart attack Gem-Knight Rubyz! Graceful Wave!" Mozart waved her baton around before singing which created a blast that headed towards Rubyz.

Masumi narrowed her eyes as put her hand out, "I activate Gem-Knight Nacre's effect from my Graveyard! By banishing it, I can change the attack target to another "Gem-Knight" monster I control!" Nacre was banished as the attack then shifted towards Master Dia and since a "Gem-Knight" was removed from the Graveyard, Master Dia gets weaker.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 5000** → **4700** )

Mozart's attack connected and destroyed Master Dia. The blast from the attack made Masumi land on her knees as she took the attack. Brilliant Fusion was destroyed as Master Dia was no longer on the field.

 **MASUMI LP: 2300** → **1300**

Tatsuya was distraught, "Aw no, she almost had her!"

Masumi got back up on her feet and narrowed her eyes at Yuzu, "Okay, I admit. That time your dueling had some shine to it but it still isn't enough."

Yuzu smiled, "All I'm seeing is you being a sore loser."

Masumi brushed some dirt off again and then smiled, "We'll see if I really am being one or not."

Yuzu looked at her, "I switch Sonata into defense position." Sonata put her arms in front of her.

 **Sonata the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 1700** → **DEF: 1500** )

Yuzu grabbed two cards in her hand, "I set two cards and end my turn." Since it is the end of Yuzu's turn, Baila's effect wears off.

 **Prodigy Mozart the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 5700** → **3900** )

Masumi placed her fingers on her deck, "My turn, draw!"

She had her hand out, "I activate the effect of Gem-Knight Larim. By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can summon back a "Gem-Knight" monster from my Graveyard. I summon back Gem-Knight Master Dia ( **ATK: 2900** → **4400** )!" Larim was banished and then Master Dia reappeared on the field.

"I activate the Magic Card: Treasure of Gems! By returning three banished "Gem-Knight" monsters to my Deck, I can draw 2 cards!" Masumi returned Larim, Saphire, and Obsidia to her Deck before drawing 2 cards. She saw one of the cards she drew and smiled.

Masumi held out the card she drew, "I activate the Magic Card: Compound Fusion which allows me to Fusion Summon by banishing "Gem-Knight" monsters from my field or Graveyard!"

Yuzu was surprised again, "Now you're using monsters in your Graveyard?!"

Masumi smiled, "You've got a lot to learn if you really think Fusion Summoning is just limited to monsters in your hand or field."

Masumi then held out her hand, "I fuse Gem-Knight Roumaline and Gem-Knight Ganet in my Graveyard!" Both monsters then went into the colorful vortex.

"Gem tinged with lightning, brilliant garnet burned in fire! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a dazzling new radiance! Fusion Summon! Appear, the one who pursues victory! Gem-Knight Paz ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 1800, LV: 6)!" Masumi summoned a monster that was a yellow-orange knight wearing a dark cape with topaz gemstones on the armor and it was wielding a small axe-like weapon in both of its hands. Since monsters were banished from the Graveyard, Master Dia loses ATK.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 4400** → **3800** )

Masumi pointed at Rubyz, "I activate the effect of Gem-Knight Rubyz and tribute Paz this time. So now Rubyz gains the ATK of Paz!" Paz was sacrificed as Rubyz gained more power again.

 **Gem-Knight Rubyz** ( **ATK: 2500** → **4300** )  
 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 3800** → **4100** )

Ayu was confused, "So she Fusion Summon again just to make Rubyz stronger?"

Sora looked at the duel, "No, that's not it. It's the effect of Master Dia." The others looked at Sora curiously who ate another chocolate stick while watching.

Masumi then pointed at Master Dia, "I activate Master Dia's monster effect! Once per turn, I can banish one Level 7 or below "Gem-Knight" Fusion Monster from my Graveyard and replace this card's name and this effect with that same monster's until the end of my turn!" A silhouette of Paz appeared before a topaz appeared in Master Dia's hands and crushed it as it gained Paz's abilities.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** → **Gem-Knight Paz** ( **ATK: 4100** → **3800** )

Yuzu was confused, "What? Why would you do that?" She doesn't know about Paz's effect but it had to been really good if Masumi was willing to banish her monster which made her Master Dia weaker.

Masumi just smiled and pointed at Master Dia/Paz, "Battle! Gem-Knight Paz attacks Sonata!" Master Dia/Paz then swung its sword at Sonata and destroyed it.

Masumi then gave off a smirk, "When Gem-Knight Paz destroys a monster by battle, it inflicts damage to my opponent to equal to the destroyed monster's ATK."

Yuzu was surprised, "What?" She couldn't say anything else as Master Dia/Paz swung its sword again, creating a vacuum wave that hit Yuzu.

 **YUZU LP: 1800** → **100**

Yuya was concerned, "Yuzu!"

Masumi wasn't done as she held out her hand, "Since Sonata was destroyed, its effect is gone as well."

 **Prodigy Mozart the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 3900** → **3400** , DEF: 2000→2500)  
 **Baila the Melodious Diva** (ATK: 1800→1300, **DEF: 2200** → **1700** )

Masumi gave off a smirk again, "Gem-Knight Paz can also attack twice during the Battle Phase!" She held out her hand to Master Dia/Paz, "Gem-Knight Paz attack Baila the Melodious Diva and end this!" Master Dia/Paz swung its sword at Baila.

However, Yuzu still seemed determined and pressed a button on her duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Rhythm Cure! It allows me to gain life points equal to two "Melodious" monsters I banish from my Graveyard! I banish Sonata and Solo ( **1600 + 1200 = 2800** )!" Silhouettes of both monsters appeared momentarily before they were banished and Yuzu gained life points.

 **YUZU LP: 100** → **2900**

Just then, Master Dia's attack connected and destroyed Baila; it then launched a vacuum wave that hit Yuzu again.

 **YUZU LP: 2900** → **1600**

Masumi gave off a huff of minor annoyance before pointing at Rubyz, "Then I attack Prodigy Mozart with Gem-Knight Rubyz!" Rubyz swung its weapon and destroyed Prodigy Mozart.

 **YUZU LP: 1600** → **700**

Ayu sighed in relief, "That was close for Big Sis Yuzu."

Gongenzaka raised his fist, "Yes, but now Yuzu has another chance to counterattack!"

Masumi looked at both her hand and Yuzu, " _She's giving me more trouble than I originally thought. I need to end this soon."_

Masumi showed a card in her hand, "I activate the effect of Compound Fusion." She then send a monster to the Graveyard, "By sending a card from my hand to Graveyard, I can add Compound Fusion back to my hand but I'm unable to use for the rest of the turn." She got Compound Fusion and put it back into her hand.

Masumi held her hand, "And because the card I sent was Gem-Knight Pallad, when this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can draw one card." A silhouette of a silver knight with a spiked helmet appears momentarily before Masumi drew her card.

Masumi placed two cards in her duel disk, "I set two cards and end my turn." Since it was the end of Masumi's turn, Rubyz and Master Dia's effects return to normal.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 2900** → **4100** )  
 **Gem-Knight Rubyz** ( **ATK: 4300** → **2500** )

Yuzu looked at Masumi, "My turn, draw!"

"I activate the Magic Card: Monster Reborn which allows me to bring back Prodigy Mozart ( **ATK: 2600** ) from my Graveyard!" Prodigy Mozart was summoned back to Yuzu's field.

Yuzu pointed at Mozart, "Next, I activate Fortissimo's effect again and target Prodigy Mozart!"

 **Prodigy Mozart the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 2600** → **3400** )

Yuzu pressed a button on her duel disk, "I activate the Continuous Trap: Miraculous Light Descent which lets me summon back a banished Fairy-type monster to my field! I bring back Sonata ( **DEF: 1000** )!" Sonata was brought back to the field as well.

Yuzu held out her hand, "And since Sonata was Special Summoned, her effect activates again so all of my Fairy-type monster gain 500 ATK and DEF!"

 **Prodigy Mozart the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 3400** → **3900** , DEF: 2000→2500)  
 **Sonata the Melodious Diva** (ATK: 1200→1700, **DEF: 1000** → **1500** )

Yuzu pointed at Mozart, "Battle! Prodigy Mozart attack Rubyz! Graceful Wave!" Mozart waved her baton around before singing and created a blast that headed towards Rubyz.

Rin cheered, "If this attack works, then Yuzu wins the duel!"

Masumi narrowed her eyes before pressing a button on her duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Reinforced Gems! Now, my "Gem-" monsters cannot be destroyed this turn!"

Yuzu looked at Masumi, a little confused, "But you still take damage which is 1400!"

Masumi then held out her hand, "Reinforced Gems' other effect! I banish this card from my Graveyard to halve the damage I take!" Mozart's attack connected but didn't destroyed Rubyz and Masumi was protected somewhat from a small gem shield in front of her.

 **MASUMI LP: 1300** → **600**

Yuzu frowned a little, "I end my turn." She can't really do anything else so she's out of options but she has the feeling that Masumi isn't done with her options.

Tatsuya looked at Yuzu worried, "Big Sis Yuzu only has 700 life points left and Masumi can still Fusion Summon."

Gongenzaka looked at Yuzu troubled as well, "But she still has life points so I'm sure she'll…"

However, he was interrupted by Sora's voice, "Nope, not possible." Everyone else then turned to see Sora eating while smiling and having his eyes closed, "It's over with this." Ruri narrowed her eyes at Sora's behavior.

Yuya narrowed his at Sora, confused, "And how can you be so sure, Sora?"

Sora looked at Yuya, "Just watch and see." They then turned to see what happens. Mikleo knew what Sora was talking about but didn't say anything as he continued to watch the duel.

Masumi placed her fingers on her deck, "My turn, draw!"

"I activate the Magic Card: Compound Fusion once again and fuse Gem-Knight Zirconia and Gem-Knight Pallad from my Graveyard!" Both monsters went into the colorful vortex.

"Strong gems of the earth, silver palladium of wisdom! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a dazzling new radiance! Fusion Summon! Appear! Gem-Knight Tanzan ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 2000, LV: 6)!" Masumi summoned a blue-violet knight with an orange cape that carried a halberd in its hand.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 4100** → **3500** )

Ayu looked at Yuzu worried, "If any of Masumi's monsters deal damage, Big Sis Yuzu will lose!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes while looking at Yuzu concerned, " _Yuzu."_

Masumi smiled, "And now I attack Sonata with Gem-Knight Rubyz!" Rubyz charged forward and swung its weapon towards Sonata.

However, Yuzu glared at her while still feeling determined, "I was waiting for that!" Masumi looked at her shocked, "What?"

Yuzu grabbed the last card in her hand, "When a "Melodious" monster I control battles my opponent's monster, I can send Score the Melodious Diva from my hand to the Graveyard!" She sent her monster to the Graveyard and then pointed at Rubyz, "And then my opponent's battling monster lose all of its ATK and DEF until the end of the turn!" A silhouette of a young girl monster with blue-green hair wearing a light purple dress while holding a book in her right hand appeared on the field momentarily before singing a song which weakened Rubyz as it was still charging forward to attack.

 **Gem-Knight Rubyz** ( **ATK: 2500** → **0** , DEF: 1300→0)

Masumi was caught off guard by Yuzu's move, "What?"

Futoshi looked excited again, "Now Masumi's monster is weaker now!" Tatsuya looked happy, "And Rubyz still has to attack!" Ayu looked at the other two, "Since Rubyz has 0 ATK and Sonata has 1500 DEF…" All three of them yelled out excitedly, "Bis Sis Yuzu will win!"

However, the others noticed that Masumi still had a face down on her field and still watched the duel with concern since it wasn't over yet.

Masumi gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, "I have no choice."

Masumi pressed a button, "I activate the Trap Card: Assemble Fusion!" Activating her trap also made Rubyz stop momentarily just as its attack was about to connect.

Yuzu looked at Masumi shocked, "What?"

Masumi looked at Yuzu, "With this card, I can now Fusion Summon by sending Fusion Material monsters from my hand or field to the Graveyard!" She then held out her hand, "I fuse Gem-Knight Rubyz, Gem-Knight Master Dia, and Gem-Knight Tanzan!" All three monsters then went into the colorful vortex.

"Powerful ruby of earth, master of diamonds, illuminating tanzanite of the dark! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a dazzling new radiance! Fusion Summon! Come forth, Level 10! My true ace! Dazzling lady, Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Dia ( **ATK: 3400** , DEF: 2000, LV: 10)!" Masumi summoned her strongest monster which is a female knight in silver armor who wielded a sword and had diamond on the sides of the armor. She also had a red cape behind her back.

Yuzu was shocked by what Masumi performed, "...No way." The plan she had to win this duel had failed and Masumi had summoned a Level 10 Fusion Monster; she had a feeling it was going to get worse for her in this duel.

The kids looked at Masumi's monster shocked, "A Level 10 Fusion Monster?!"

Ruri looked at Yuzu concerned, "Now Yuzu's chances to win are even worse than before."

Masumi then frowned at Yuzu, "To think that you made me bring my true ace monster. I'll give you credit for that but it's over now!"

Instead of attacking, Masumi held up a card in her hand, "I Normal Summon Gem-Knight Emeral ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 800, LV: 4)!" Masumi summoned a light green knight with emeralds in the armor and had saw-shaped shields on its arms.

Masumi held out her hand, "I activate Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Dia's monster effect! By sending a "Gem-Knight" monster I control to the Graveyard, I can now Special Summon a "Gem-Knight" Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck while ignoring the summoning conditions!" Emeral vanished as Lady Brilliant Dia brought out her sword and opened a portal.

Yuzu looked at Masumi shocked, "What?"

Rin looked at the monster surprised, "Wait, so that means she doesn't have to Fusion Summon to summon a Fusion Monster?!" The others were all in agreement as well. Sora seemed intrigued by the monster Masumi summoned especially considering her effect.

Masumi grabbed a card from her Extra Deck, "I summon Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1000, LV: 5)!" Masumi summoned a female knight that had blue hair while wearing a dark blue robe with lapis and lazuli gemstones on the design.

Masumi then smiled, "I activate Lapis Lazuli's monster effect! By sending a "Gem-Knight" monster from my Deck or Extra Deck to the Graveyard, you now take 500 points of damage for every Special Summoned monster on the field!" Lapis Lazuli then gathered crystallized energy in her hands.

Yuya looked really worried, "And there are four monsters that are Special Summoned."

Ruri looked worried as well, "Which mean 2000 points of damage."

Gongenzaka then looked worried, "But that means Yuzu will…"

The kids finished his sentence, "She will lose…"

Sora looked at the scene with a smile, "I told you. This duel is already over."

Lapis Lazuli then launched a crystal orb of energy towards Yuzu who was shocked and couldn't do anything to stop it. She got hit with the blast and was sent flying before she slid across the floor.

 **YUZU LP: 700** → **0**

 **YUZU: LOSE  
** **MASUMI: WIN**

Masumi looked at Yuzu who was laying on the ground as the Action Field disappeared.

Sora bit another chocolate stick in half and swallowed it before sighing, "Even after all that, she still lost."

Yuya ran towards the door of the arena and opened it before running to Yuzu, "Yuzu! Are you okay?"

Ruri looked at Yuzu worried for how she was feeling and wanted to come over to her as well before Rin put her shoulder on Ruri. Ruri turned to Rin who gave a sad, semi-pleading look on her face. Ruri lowered her head while silently agreeing. It would be better if Yuya handles this as he knows Yuzu better than anyone else and they only knew for some short time. They might get in the way if they try and comfort her right now.

Himika chuckled in satisfaction, "But of course." Hokuto gritted his teeth and growled a little as he was still bitter about being utterly humiliated by his loss to Yuya.

Yuya sat next to Yuzu and held up her head as he looked at her worried, "Yuzu! Yuzu! Are you okay?" Yuzu slowly opened her eyes and saw Yuya.

She slowly began to get back up on her legs again. Yuya looked at her worried, "Hey, take it easy. You're not hurt right?" Yuzu shook her head, "No, I'm alright." Yuya sighed in relief, "Thank goodness."

Yuzu looked at the ground while feeling really depressed, "...I-I'm really sorry. I failed to protect you and You Show. I'm…"

However, to her shock, Yuya interrupted when he gave her a hug, "Hey, you have nothing to be sorry about. You did your very best."

Yuzu was touched by how Yuya was trying to comfort her, " _Yuya."_ She then began to find herself lost in the hug until…

Masumi, who had an amused smile on her face with her arms crossed, interrupted, "That's quite a show you two are giving us here."

Yuzu looked at Masumi confused, " _What does she mean by show?"_ She then looked back and realized she got lost in Yuya's hug and stepped backwards with the legs feeling more stable. Yuya and Yuzu both saw how close they were together and Yuya stepped back a little while turning his head sideways, "Sorry about that." He said that as he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck since he realized he might come a little too close for comfort.

Yuzu, while having some redness in her cheeks, shook her head, "N-No, it's fine." She then started to feel sad again, "But I still lost such an important duel…" She closed her eyes as she felt really bad about losing since the fate of their school was on line and now if they lose one more duel, You Show will belong to LDS.

Yuya put his hand on Yuzu's shoulder as he smiled at her, "Hey, I said don't worry about it. All we have to do is win the next one!"

Yuzu looked up at Yuya, "Yuya…" She then smiled and nodded, feeling a little better after hearing Yuya say that.

However, they then heard a voice nearby, "All we have to do is win the next one? You make it sound like it'll be easy." Yuya and Yuzu turned and saw the brown-haired boy with the kendo on his back leaning at the door.

Yuya looked at him, "And you are…?"

The boy had a smirk on his face as he looked back at Yuya and the others, "I'm the ace of LDS' Synchro Course, Yaiba Todo. So, who's going to be my opponent?"

After a few minutes, Himika was talking to Yaiba while Yuya and Yuzu were standing next to the kids, Gongenzaka, Sora, Ruri, and Rin.

Tatsuya looked at everyone, "So Big Bro Yuya won and Big Sis Yuzu lost, so the score is 1-1?" Yuzu got a depressed look on her face as she failed win the match but Yuya put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile which she returned.

Yuya was looking at Yaiba, "So now we're up against the Synchro Course." He wondered how good Yaiba was compared to the other two.

Yuzu looked at both Rin, Ruri and Sora, "So, it should be one of you three."

Gongenzaka clenched his fists while feeling frustrated, "I, the man, Gongenzaka would avenge Yuzu if I could but...even though You Show is on the line, as a successor to the Gongenzaka Dojo, I'm an outsider so I can't help you!"

He then bent down and looked at both Sora, who was licking a lollipop, and Rin with a serious expression, "Listen up Sora, Ruri, Rin! This is the moment of truth! You have to win the next match!"

Sora, however, had an uninterested expression on his face, "You know I'm not really a fan of such stifling matters...If you want, you can go out in the next duel Gon-chan, Rin, Ruri."

Gongenzaka got a shocked expression on his face, "G-Gon-chan?!"

Ruri narrowed her eyes at him, confused, "Why don't you want to go out Sora?"

Sora narrowed his eyes as he looked at Yaiba with an uninterested expression on his face again, "I don't know why but I'm getting the feeling I'm not a good matchup with that guy."

Ruri, while feeling a little uncomfortable, looked at Gongenzaka, "If you want Gongenzaka, I'll let you duel in my place as well." Even though she was willing to fight for You Show even if it meant exposing herself, seeing Gongenzaka's determination to fight made her decide to give him a chance to fight as well since, like Yuzu, he's known Yuya and the others longer than she has so she feels that he deserves the right to fight for You Show more than her.

Rin smiled at Gongenzaka, "I'll let you duel in my place as well Gongenzaka." She was feeling the exact same way Ruri was feeling which also led to her decision.

Gongenzaka was even more shocked, "I can go out?! Are you sure?!"

Rin nodded, "Yeah, I feel like you deserve to fight for You Show more than me and Ruri." Ruri nodded in agreement as well.

Gongenzaka raised his fist, "If you all say so then…"

Yuya walked over to Gongenzaka, "We're counting on you Gongenzaka." Gongenzaka turned around and looked at Yuya who smiled at him, "Since you're my best friend and I know your dueling, I've got nothing to worry about."

Gongenzaka felt really touched when he heard that, "Yuya…" He said that with a lot of emotion. He then got fired up and had a determined expression on his face with a fighting aura surrounding him, "Alright, leave it to me! I swear on the name of Gongenzaka's Steadfast Dueling that I will win!"

However, they soon heard a voice speaking to Gongenzaka, "Hey! How long are you going to make me wait?" Gongenzaka saw Yaiba standing in front of him with his kendo on his shoulder, "Or are you afraid and going to forfeit?"

Gongenzaka gritted his teeth before shouting, "Unforgivable! To treat a man such as I, Gongenzaka, as a coward! Your opponent…" He then placed his duel disk on his arm and got into a fighting position, "shall be me!"

Yaiba had his eyes closed while having a smirk on his face, "Let me say this first, if you think I'm in the same league as those other two chumps you fought, you're going to find yourself hurting!"

Gongenzaka looked at him confused when he said that. Yaiba then looked at him, "Because after all unlike those two, I'm actually strong!"

Hokuto gritted his teeth when he heard that, "That damn Yaiba, talking about us like we're weaklings!"

Masumi, who had an irritated expression at first, then smirked at Hokuto with her arms crossed, "Sure it's annoying but since you lost you can't really blame him, can you?"

Hokuto looked like he had been pierced by an arrow after hearing that and went over to a corner of the room while feeling depressed. Masumi looked at him before sighing.

Shuzo was back in the control room in front of the monitor with his eyes narrowed, " _The opponent this time is Yaiba Todo...Blade...Katana...Sword…"_ He then had a idea, "This'll do it!" He pressed a button, "Action Field on! Field Magic: Sword's Graveyard!"

The Solid Vision System formed a field full of broken swords sticking out of the ground while the ground looked a little barren.

Shuzo looked at Gongenzaka, "Gongenzaka! Use this sword graveyard to bury your opponent's blade!"

Himika looked at Shuzo with a smirk, "Hiragi-san, if we win this duel then both You Show and Yuya Sakaki will belong to LDS, do you agree with these conditions?"

Shuzo looked back at Himika and was about to say something before Mikleo beat him to it, "Correction." They turned to see Mikleo with his arms crossed, "If you win, you'll only get You Show. We never agreed on giving my brother to you." The others turned to them to hear what Mikleo was saying.

Himika narrowed her eyes but then smiled, "But of course, you must not have remembered…"

However, she was interrupted when Mikleo spoke with a smirk on his face, "Oh but I do. In fact…" He then took out his duel disk and pressed a few buttons before everyone heard something, " _If your party wins, then we will ignore the case concerning Sawatari. But if we win, we will have you make this Duel School as a part of Leo Duel School!"_ Himika was surprised as that was her voice they heard through the duel disk.

Mikleo pressed a button and then had a amused expression on his face, "Didn't say anything about my brother. So would you like me to continue?"

Reiji narrowed his eyes as he could basically tell that Mikleo recorded what his mother was saying, he might have to be careful with him.

Himika narrowed her eyes as she was angry that she was recorded, "You recorded me?"

Mikleo just shrugged his shoulders, "You expect me to trust a _bitch_ like you to keep your word? I was being cautious that's all."

Himika gritted her teeth as she heard this boy insult her again. Reiji narrowed his eyes even more after hearing what Mikleo just said but didn't look angry.

Hokuto walked over to Mikleo angry, "Hey! How dare you insult the Chairwoman like that? Do you know who she is?"

Mikleo gave Hokuto an uninterested expression, "Like I said, am I supposed to care? Cause I really don't."

Himika narrowed her eyes at him, "Let me ask you, why don't you duel for You Show since you're so eager to run your mouth?"

Everyone else was watching the exchange with curious expressions as it was an interesting conversation. The students of You Show, Sora, Shuzo, and Gongenzaka looked at Mikleo curiously as they have wondered why Mikleo hasn't offered to duel for them.

Mikleo looked at Himika amused while narrowing his eyes, "You're asking why don't I duel?"

Mikleo pointed at Yuya and the others, "Well, they're more attached to You Show than I honestly am so they're more determined to fight for it as well. I couldn't take that away. Plus…" He then closed his eyes with smiling a little, "It's not my habit to duel weak opponents."

Yaiba narrowed his eyes after hearing that, "What?"

Rin looked at Mikleo, "He considers Hokuto, Masumi, and Yaiba weak opponents?" Sure, she can agree that maybe they're not strong as a pro but they're still a little tougher than the average duelist and he considers them weak?

Mikleo still had his eyes closed, "Let me put it like this…" He then moved his finger and pointed at Hokuto, Masumi, and then Yaiba, "I can face all three of them at once and the result would still be obvious."

Hokuto was seething, "What?" Masumi and Yaiba both looked irritated that they were clearing being underestimated by this one guy. Reiji looked at the situation amused while Himika narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

Ayu looked at Yuzu curiously, "Big Sis Yuzu is Big Bro Mikleo really that good?" She had never seen Mikleo duel before so she doesn't know how strong he is.

Yuzu shook her head while feeling confused, "No. I haven't seen him duel before." He would always train Yuya without anybody else around for some reason so nobody knows what deck he uses except for Yuya. She had never seen him duel before so she doesn't know either.

Yuzu turned to look at Yuya curiously, "Yuya, is Mikleo really that good?" The others turned to Yuya to hear his answer.

Yuya didn't answer at first but his expression didn't change and had resolve and truth in it before speaking clearly, "Yeah. He is." They then looked at Mikleo curiously as they wondered about his true strength.

Mikleo didn't say anything else before turning back to the duel, "Anyway, You Show will be the only thing you'll be getting _if_ you win. But don't think it will be easy."

Himika narrowed her eyes, " _Regardless, if he's bluffing or not, it doesn't matter. As long as we win the last match._ "

Everyone then turned to watch the duel commencing as they were processing of the events that just occurred.

Shuzo, who had gotten over his surprise, looked back at Himika, "I'll only agree with giving up You Show. But if we win this duel, then you aren't allowed to mess with Yuya ever again!" Himika narrowed her eyes at Shuzo while he was glaring back at her.

Everyone then turned towards the duel and watched as Gongenzaka and Yaiba got into positions and readied their duel disks.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **GONGENZAKA LP: 4000  
** **YAIBA LP: 4000**

Gongenzaka looked at Yaiba, "I'm going first! Draw!" He drew his card before grabbing another one, "I Normal Summon Superheavy Samurai Kabu-10 ( **ATK: 1000** , DEF: 2000, LV: 4)!" Gongenzaka summoned a machine-like monster that resembled a samurai that red, black, and white armor that carried a large hammer in his hands.

Gongenzaka looked at Yaiba, "And with that, I end my turn."

Yaiba looked back at him with a smirk on his face, "Heh, you summoned a monster with only 1000 ATK and you're done?"

Gongenzaka smiled, "Truly strong men make no wasted moves!"

Yaiba smiled as he chuckled a little, "Do whatever you want then, blockhead!" He placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He saw the card he drew and smirked.

"I Normal Summon XX-Saber Boggarknight ( **ATK: 1900** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4) from my hand!" A fiendish-looking monster with gray skull armor and a red cape appeared on the field; it also wielding a sword.

Yaiba held out his hand, "When this monster is Normal Summoned successfully, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below "X-Saber" monster from my hand!" He placed a card on his duel disk, "I Special Summon the Level 3 Tuner monster XX-Saber Fulhelmknight ( **ATK: 1300** , DEF: 1000, LV: 3)!" Yaiba summoned a young male warrior with long blonde hair with brown armor, a red cape and an energy whip attached to his right arm.

Rin narrowed her eyes, "Tuner monster…" She knew that Yaiba is going to Synchro Summon.

Gongenzaka held out his hand, "At this moment, I activate Superheavy Samurai Kabu-10's effect! When my opponent successfully Special Summons a monster, I can switch it along with other "Superheavy Samurai" monsters into defense position and this card gains 500 DEF for each one until the End Phase." Kabu-10 switched into defense position as it got into a guarded position with his hammer.

 **Superheavy Samurai Kabu-10** ( **ATK: 1000** → **DEF: 2000** → **2500** )

Gongenzaka smiled at Yaiba, "Too bad for you! You could've defeated Kabu-10 if hadn't Special Summoned! In this duel, the one who makes needless moves will, don't forget it!"

Yuya smiled as he cheered, "That's right! Show him your Steadfast Dueling Gongenzaka!"

Yaiba scoffed, "What's this Steadfast Dueling crap? I'm just getting started!" He held up a card in his hand, "If there are two or more "X-Saber" monsters on my field, I can Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1800, LV: 6)!" A large warrior with black and orange armor and a red cape and had a large sword appeared on the field.

The kids looked shocked with Tatsuya saying, "He summoned three monsters at once!" Futoshi was amazed, "Wow!"

"Next I activate the Magic Card: Sabers' Gathering which allows me to draw 2 cards since I control three "X-Saber" monsters!" Yaiba drew his cards before putting his hand out, "I choose to tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight my Level 4 Boggarknight ( **3 + 4 = 7** )! Wielder of crossed blades of light! Trample over this mountain of corpses! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 7! X-Saber Souza ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 1600, LV: 7)!" Yaiba summoned a large grinning warrior in black armor with a worn out red cape and he wielding two swords.

Yaiba's smirk grew bigger, "There's still more to come! I activate XX-Saber Faultroll's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "X-Saber" monster from my Graveyard! Revive, XX-Saber Fulhelmknight ( **ATK: 1300** )!" Faultroll stabbed his sword into the ground and Fulhelmknight appeared back on the field.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "He brought back a Tuner monster which means he's going to…"

Yaiba chuckled, "That's right! I tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight with my Level 6 Faultroll ( **3 + 6 = 9** )! Let your silver armor shine! Crush the hope of all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 9! XX-Saber Gottoms ( **ATK: 3100** , DEF: 2600, LV: 9)!" A masked warrior with a red cape in light brown and silver armor appeared on the field while holding a large sword over his right shoulder.

Yuya looked at Gongenzaka, a little concerned. He still believes that Gongenzaka can will this but it looks like he will have a harder time.

Yaiba chuckled since Gongenzaka wasn't saying anything, "What's wrong? You scared speechless?"

Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes, "A man should stand firm, not panic, and not run around in an unseemly manner!"

Yaiba was frustrated and glared at him, "I've heard enough! Then you won't mind if I go all out then!"

Yaiba pointed at his monsters, "Battle! I attack Superheavy Samurai Kabu-10 with XX-Saber Gottoms!" Gottoms sent a blast from the top of his sword and destroyed Kabu-10 while Gongenzaka gritted his teeth.

Yaiba had a smirk on his face now, "How do you like the cutting edge of the X-Sabers?" He then held out his hand, "I'm not done yet! I attack you directly with X-Saber Souza!" Souza jumped up and sent a cross-like slash with his double swords towards Gongenzaka. Gongenzaka gritted his teeth as he held up his arms in front of him to block the blast which made him slide backwards a few feet.

 **GONGENZAKA LP: 4000** → **1500**

The students of You Show and Mikleo looked impressed that Gongenzaka withstood that attack except for Sora who looked unamused. Tatsuya looked troubled, "He took 2500 points of damage." Futoshi looked at Gongenzaka both impressed and worried, "He withstood it but he lost more than half his life…"

Yuya, however, was still smiling, "I'm not worried. I know Gongenzaka will recover from this." Yuzu looked at Yuya with a curious expression. She wasn't familiar with Gongenzaka's dueling style but Yuya did and he didn't seem worried so she decided not to right now.

Shuzo got an excited look on his face, "Hot-blooded! That's the foundation of our rival Gongenzaka Dojo!"

Yaiba scoffed, "What are you talking about? I set one card and end my turn."

Gongenzaka placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He drew his next card and created a shockwave from the force of the draw. He looked at the card he drew, " _It's here, the standard holder of my Steadfast Dueling!"_

Gongenzaka grabbed another card in his hand, "When my opponent has two or more monsters on the field, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai TenB-N (ATK: 800, **DEF: 1800** , LV: 4) from my hand!" A gray and green samurai appeared on the field as it was also carrying a scale, in the form of a stick and a bucket on each side, on his shoulders.

Gongenzaka then had a smile on his hand, "And when this monster is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one "Superheavy Samurai" monster from my Graveyard!" He pointed at TenB-N, "Be reborn! Superheavy Samurai Kabu-10 ( **DEF: 2000** )!" TenB-N spun his scale around before holding out one of the bowls and Kabu-10 appeared from it.

Gongenzaka closed his eyes as he held a card in his hands, "Immovable like the mountains, I shall show you the true form of steadfastness!"

Gongenzaka opened his eyes as he placed a card on his duel disk, "I tribute Superheavy Samurai TenB-N and Kabu-10 in order to Tribute Summon the Level 8 Superheavy Samurai Big Ben-K (ATK: 1000, **DEF: 3500** , LV: 8)!" TenB-N and Kabu-10 disappeared from the field and then a large pillar of green light was shown before a large black samurai with orange pads appeared on the field while carrying a fork-like staff.

Yaiba narrowed his eyes confused, "You summoned it in defense position?" He then shrugged his shoulders, "Well it doesn't matter, since I don't see the point in doing that."

Gongenzaka had a smirk on his face, "Without moving it will win! This is the very essence of Gongenzaka Dojo's Steadfast Dueling style!" Yaiba looked at him confused, not understanding what Gongenzaka was talking about.

Gongenzaka held out his hand towards Gottoms, "Battle! I attack XX-Saber Gottoms with Big Ben-K!"

Yaiba's eyes widened in shock when he heard that, "Say what? Your monster is attacking while in defense position?!"

Gongenzaka then got a huge grin on his face, "Big Ben-K can attack while it's in defense position! And when it does, it applies its DEF during damage calculation!" Big Ben-K slammed his fist into the ground which created an explosion that headed toward Gottoms.

Ayu had a smile on her face as she looked at Tatsuya, "Then that means…!"

Tatsuya nodded with an excited smile, "Yeah! It's 3500 vs. 3100! So Big Ben-K wins!"

As they said that, the blast reached Gottoms and destroyed it in a huge explosion.

 **YAIBA LP: 4000** → **3600**

Gongenzaka had a smile on his face as he looked at the rest of his hand, " _Alright! With this, my defense is set up."_ He then looked at Yaiba, "I end my turn with that."

Yaiba narrowed his eyes as he placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He then grabbed another card from his hand, "I Normal Summon another XX-Saber Boggarknight ( **ATK: 1900** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4)!" Another Boggarknight appeared on the field.

Yaiba was smiling, "When Boggarknight is Normal Summoned successfully, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below "X-Saber" monster from my hand! I summon XX- Saber Ragigura (ATK: 200, **DEF: 1000** , LV: 3)!" A small armored green chameleon appeared on the field while wearing a red cape and wielding two double short swords.

Yaiba's smirk grew bigger, "When Ragigura is Special Summoned, I can an "X-Saber" monster from the Graveyard back to my hand!" He added a card to his hand and then showed it, "Faultroll can be Special Summoned when I have two or more "X-Saber" monsters on my field! So I summon Faultroll ( **ATK: 2400** ) back!" Faultroll was brought back to the field thanks to both its own effect and Ragigura's.

Yaiba held out his hand, "Faultroll's effect activates! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "X-Saber" monster from my Graveyard! Return to us, Tuner monster XX-Saber Fulhelmknight ( **ATK: 1300** )!" Faultroll brought Fulhelmknight back to Yaiba's field.

Sora was licking his lollipop while the kids had a horrified expression on their faces. Tatsuya pointed at him, "Wait...does that mean?"

Yaiba chuckled, "You guessed it. I tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight with my Level 6 Faultroll ( **3 + 6 = 9** )!" Fulhelmknight turned into green energy rings that surrounded Faultroll, "Let your silver armor shine! Crush the hope of all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 9! XX-Saber Gottoms ( **ATK: 3100** , DEF: 2600, LV: 9)!" Another Gottoms was brought onto Yaiba's field.

Yuzu had a worried expression on her face, "No way...the Gottoms he had just defeated…!"

Yuya turned his head towards her, "It's fine. Gottoms only has 3100 ATK so it can't budge to Big Ben-K's 3500 DEF."

However, Yaiba smirked, "You're right about that, however…" He then pointed at Gottoms, "Battle! I attack Big Ben-K with XX-Saber Gottoms!" Gottoms swung his sword while ready to launch his blast.

Rin was a little confused, "Why is he attacking?" Ruri noticed the face down Yaiba had, "It might be his face down."

Yaiba pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Strike Slash! When my monster attacks, it gains 700 ATK and can inflict piercing damage!" Gottoms was engulfed in flames as it gained more power.

 **XX-Saber Gottoms** ( **ATK: 3100** → **3800** )

However, Yaiba didn't notice that Gongenzaka sent a card to the Graveyard.

 **Superheavy Samurai Big Ben-K** ( **DEF: 3500** → **2700** )

Gottoms then fired a blast from the tip of his sword towards Big Ben-K and when the attack connected, it created an explosion that made Gongenzaka hold his arms in front of himself as he shielded himself from the shockwaves.

 **GONGENZAKA LP: 1500** → **400**

Yaiba had a satisfied expression on his face, however it turned to shock when he saw that Big Ben-K was still on the field as the smoke cleared, "Wh...Why?!"

Gongenzaka had a smirk on his face, "Before your attack connected, I sent Superheavy Samurai Soul Fire Armor to the Graveyard." A silhouette of a fire shield was present on the field as Gongenzaka continued, "During either players' turn, I can send this card to target one "Superheavy Samurai" in defense position; that monster loses 800 DEF but it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn!"

Yaiba growled a little, "So you sacrificed your hand to protect your ace then?"

He then held out his hand, "I'll put an end to your cunning tricks! I activate Gottoms' effect and tribute Boggarknight!" Boggarknight vanished from the field as a purple orb of light headed towards Gongenzaka, "And then one random card in your hand is sent to the Graveyard!"

Gongenzaka was shocked, "Wh-What?!" One of his cards was then glowing which meant he had to send it to the Graveyard.

Futoshi held his cheeks in panic, "Gongenzaka's hand is-!" The kids, Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin looked worried as Gongenzaka sent the card to the Graveyard, but Yuya knew that if it was the right card, then it could help Gongenzaka greatly.

Yaiba then pointed at Ragigura, "I'll have you throw away another card by tributing Ragigura this time!" Ragigura vanished as Gongenzaka was then forced to send another card to the Graveyard, leaving him with only one card left.

Yaiba smirked as he placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." Since it is the end of Yaiba's turn, the effect of both Strike Slash and Soul Fire Armor wear off as well.

 **XX-Saber Gottoms** ( **ATK: 3800** → **3100** )  
 **Superheavy Samurai Big Ben-K** ( **DEF: 2700** → **3500** )

Ayu looked at the situation worried, "What's he going to do now? If this keeps up, Gongenzaka will lose this duel."

Tatsuya had a troubled expression on his face, "If only he had more defense…"

Futoshi was panicking, "That's right! Why hasn't Gongenzaka played any Magic or Traps for defense? It's so weird that it's giving me the shivers!"

Yuya, however, still had a smile on his face, "No, it's fine." The others turned to Yuya confused while Yuya was still looking at Gongenzaka, "This is how he duels."

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - PLAYGROUND_

 _Flashback (A few years ago)_

 _Yuya and Gongenzaka were sitting on a bench at a playground. They were both talking about their opinions on Action Cards before Mikleo had talked with Yuya before._

 _Gongenzaka was looking forward, "Dueling is to fight while believing in your Deck! Betting on those Action Cards and never knowing what you're going to get...is like asking for a chance to lose!"_

 _Yuya looked at him while standing up, "Huh? But not knowing what you're going to get is more exciting!" He then grabbed Gongenzaka's deck to look at the cards, "And besides with your Deck like this, how do you fight?"_

 _Gongenzaka then had a smile on his face, "That Deck is the Gongenzaka Style's Steadfast Dueling." He then stood up, "I'll show you that by believing in this Deck I can win!"_

 _Flashback End._

* * *

Yuya was reminded of the time he had talked with Gongenzaka before about Action Cards, " _Back then, I was so focussed on making duels exciting that I didn't consider believing in my deck as well. Besides my brother, you're also the reason I choose to believe in mine as well!"_ He then smiled, " _Show us your resolve and keep fighting for what you believe in, Gongenzaka!"_

Gongenzaka placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He created another shockwave and then looked at the card he drew, "I equip Big Ben-K with Superheavy Samurai Soul Great Wall!" A mechanical green wall appeared on the field and flew straight towards Big Ben-K, "I can equip this monster onto a "Superheavy Samurai" and increase its DEF by 1200!" The shield was then attached to one of Big Ben-K's arms.

 **Superheavy Samurai Big Ben-K** ( **DEF: 3500** → **4900** )

Yaiba was smiling while feeling a little frustrated, "To think you drew a monster that would give you a power up, you sure are a lucky bastard!"

Gongenzaka had a determined expression on his face, "You're wrong about that. I didn't drew this card with luck, it was my resolve that made it possible."

He then held out his hand, "Battle! I attack X-Saber Souza with Big Ben-K!" Big Ben-K slammed his fist into the ground again while using Soul Great Wall's power to strengthen the blast. The blast reached Souza and destroyed it which made Yaiba covering his face from the shockwaves.

 **YAIBA LP: 3600** → **1200**

The kids cheered, "He did it!" Yuya was happy to see his friend fighting back, "That's the way, Gongenzaka!"

Yaiba was frustrated, "Now you've done it, you stubborn bastard!" He held out his hand, "I activate the Trap Card: Gottoms' Emergency Call! If there's an "X-Saber" monster on my field, I can Special Summon two "X-Saber" monsters from my Graveyard! Be reborn! X-Saber Souza ( **ATK: 2500** )! And Ragigura ( **DEF: 1000** )!" Souza and Ragigura were brought back to the Yaiba's field.

A card then returned from Yaiba's duel disk, "And with Ragigura's effect, I add Faultroll back to my hand!"

Hokuto chuckled, "Monsters that you can summon whether it's your turn or not, the ability to turn the tides so explosively is what makes X-Sabers so frightening!"

Masumi turned her eyes towards Hokuto with a smirk on her face, "Oh? It's rare to hear you compliment someone else's Deck. Did losing make you that weak?"

Once again, Hokuto felt like he got stabbed with an arrow and went into a corner with a depressed look on his face.

Sora turned his eyes toward Gongenzaka while he stopped licking his lollipop for a moment, "With his life at 400 and his hand at one, Gon-chan doesn't have a chance to win does he?"

Yuya, however, shook his head while looking determined, "No, it's not over yet. He hasn't given up and I have a feeling he has a plan." All of them turned to Gongenzaka, hoping that Yuya was right.

Yaiba had a smirk on his face as he placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He grabbed another card, "Faultroll can be Special Summoned when I have two or more "X-Saber" monsters on my field! So I summon Faultroll ( **ATK: 2400** ) back!" Faultroll appeared back on the field once again.

Yaiba held out his hand, "Faultroll's effect activates! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "X-Saber" monster from my Graveyard! Return to us, Tuner monster XX-Saber Fulhelmknight ( **ATK: 1300** )!" Faultroll brought Fulhelmknight back to Yaiba's field again.

"I now tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight with his Level 6 Faultroll ( **3 + 6 = 9** )!" Fulhelmknight turned into green energy rings that surrounded Faultroll, "Let your silver armor shine! Crush the hope of all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 9! XX-Saber Gottoms ( **ATK: 3100** , DEF: 2600, LV: 9)!" A third Gottoms was brought onto Yaiba's field making him have two on his field.

He then held out his hand, "At this moment, I tribute Ragigura in order to activate Souza's effect!" Ragigura disappeared from the field.

Gongenzaka was confused until Yaiba beat him to it, "You're probably wondering why I did that, you'll find out soon."

He then grabbed another card, "I equip X-Saber Souza with the Equip Magic: Sabers' Rally and he gains 300 ATK!"

 **X-Saber Souza** ( **ATK: 2500** → **2800** )

Yaiba pointed at Souza while smirking, "Battle! I attack Big Ben-K with X-Saber Souza!"

The kids looked confused with Tatsuya speaking, "Why would he attack when Souza has the lower ATK?"

Yaiba smirked, "By tributing an "X-Saber" monster, Souza gains the effect of destroying any monster it battles after the damage step!"

The kids were shocked, "What?" Futoshi looked at Souza, "It can destroy it without caring about its ATK?"

Yuya looked at Yaiba, "But even if you destroy Big Ben-K, you'll be taking 2100 points of damage from the battle."

Yaiba, however, was still smiling, "I think not. Because of the card's effect, I don't take any battle damage from any monster that is equipped with Sabers' Rally!"

Yuzu was surprised, "What?"

Yaiba looked at Gongenzaka, "This time I'll be taking out that ace monster you've been so stubbornly defending!"

Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes, "I activate Great Wall's effect! When the equipped monster is attacked, I can send Great Wall to the Graveyard to negate the attack and then it's DEF become 0!" Great Wall was sent to the Graveyard as Souza was forced to stop his attack.

 **Superheavy Samurai Big Ben-K** ( **DEF: 4900** → **0** )

Yaiba gritted his teeth for a moment before smirking again, "Damn it! But even if you negate the attack, without any DEF it's nothing! I'll reduce your life points with my two Gottoms!" He then pointed at the first Gottoms, "I attack Big Ben-K with the first Gottoms!"

However, to Yaiba's surprise, Gongenzaka had a determined look on his face, "That's what I waiting for!" He then held out his hand, "I activate from my Graveyard Superheavy Samurai Soul Break Armor's effect!"

Yaiba had a shocked look on his face, "What? From your Graveyard?!" He then looked worried as he saw the card appearing from Gongenzaka's duel disk, "That card can't be…!"

Gongenzaka held out Break Armor's card, "That's right! This is one of the cards you sent to the Graveyard from my hand using Gottoms' effect! This card shows its true strength when it's in the Graveyard! When there are no Magic or Traps in my Graveyard, by banishing it I can deal damage to my opponent equal to the difference between the current DEF and original DEF of an attacked monster!" Soul Break Armor appeared on the field which was a piece of purple samurai-shaped armor with four spheres of purple energy around it.

Yaiba had a horrified look on his face, "What?!"

The kids stood in shock as they heard what Gongenzaka just said. "Big Ben-K's original DEF is 3500…"

Futoshi then continued, "And now it's at zero!"

Ayu then got a smile on her face, "So that means with 3500 points of damage…"

The kids then smiled at each other before all of them shouted, "Gongenzaka will win!"

Sora dropped his lollipop and it shattered as he had a completely shocked expression on his face, "No way…" He couldn't believe that Gongenzaka had managed to turn things around so that he would win the duel.

Yuya was looking at Sora with a smile as he liked that Sora had gotten so shocked. He needed to realize that you can't predict everything that will happen in a duel.

Yuya looked back at Gongenzaka with a smile on his face, "In order to use Soul Break Armor's effect, the condition had to be having no Magic or Traps in his Graveyard. That's why Gongenzaka didn't put any Magic or Traps cards and made a deck with only monsters." Yaiba was shocked he heard what Yuya just revealed.

Masumi stared at Gongenzaka with a completely shocked look on her face, "A deck that's constructed with only monsters in it?!"

Hokuto stood up and also looked at Gongenzaka, "That's beyond crazy!"

Yaiba closed his eyes while having a smirk on his face, "I see. I was wondering why you haven't used any Magic or Traps and only monsters. It was all for this."

Gongenzaka nodded, "That's right! Magic and Traps would only hinder my dueling style. Do you see now? This is the true strength of Steadfast Dueling!"

Soul Break Armor fired four spheres of purple energy towards Yaiba who still had a smirk on his face, "You've made some pretty interesting plays!"

He then held up a Magic Card, "But don't celebrate just yet. I activate from my hand the Quick-Play Magic: Saber Reflect! When there's an "X-Saber" monster on my field, I can negate effect damage!" A barrier formed around his two Gottoms which blocked the spheres of energy.

Yuya was a little surprised, "He still had an option like that?"

Yaiba wasn't finished, "And then the negated damage is dealt to my opponent! This is the end!" A blast came out of the barrier and headed towards Gongenzaka.

Gongenzaka gritted his teeth before still showing determination, "I activate the effect of Superheavy Samurai Soul Big Bang from my Graveyard!"

He took the card out of his Graveyard and Yaiba's eyes widened in shock, "Another card that I had sent to the Graveyard?!"

"When there are no Magic or Trap cards in my Graveyard, by banishing it I can negate damage from an opponent's card effect!" Big Bang appeared on the field and was absorbing all of the damage.

Yaiba gritted his teeth in frustration, "You negated the damage I reflected?!"

Gongenzaka had a smirk on his face, "That's not all! Furthermore, it destroys all monsters on the field and deals damage to both players equal to the total amount of levels of the destroyed monsters times 100!" Big Bang finished absorbing the damage and was short circuiting, meaning it was about to explode.

Everyone gasped in shock while Yaiba looked troubled, "Their total levels are 33…!"

Gongenzaka looked at Yaiba as his smirk grew bigger, "That's 3,300 points of damage!" Big Bang then exploded and destroyed every monster on the field including Big Ben-K and the two Gottoms. The wide blast reached Gongenzaka and Yaiba as they were both sent flying to the ground.

 **YAIBA LP: 1200** → **0  
** **GONGENZAKA LP: 400** → **0**

 **GONGENZAKA & YAIBA: DRAW**

Yuya and the others just stood there with shocked expression on their faces as Futoshi and Ayu broke the silence, "This is…" "A draw?"

Yuya didn't say anything but just ran over to Gongenzaka and was on his knees, "Gongenzaka, are you okay?"

He helped the much larger boy sit up. Gongenzaka was looking down on the floor with an apologetic look on his face, "I'm sorry. I couldn't beat him even with the Gongenzaka Style Steadfast Dueling."

Yuya looked at him with a large smile on his face, "Don't apologize. You still got us a draw and you showed me the strength of the deck you believe in!" Gongenzaka then smiled a little as Yuya helped him up back on his feet and walked out of the duel arena.

Shuzo looked down where the two boys were leaving, "The results of the Best of Three were one win, one loss, and a draw." He then turned towards Himika, "Chairwoman Akaba, you said you would take this duel school if you won the Best of Three but the result was a draw. I will kindly ask you to leave now."

Himika looked at him angry with her narrowed eyes, "What do you think you're saying? This was a duel to settle everything, there can be no draws!" She was not happy that this duel actually ended in a draw and was still determined to win.

Shuzo looked at her, "Uh, yes but the duel actually ended in a draw though."

Himika crossed her arms, "A tie-breaker! We will duel with our two duelists that have one victory. That's fine with you isn't it?"

Shuzo was angry, "You can't just-!"

"Fine." He was interrupted as Yuya brought Gongenzaka out of the duel arena with is hands in his pockets, looking ready to finish this. Everyone looked at Yuya, a little concerned since it was clear he was upset about the condition Gongenzaka was in.

Himika had a smile on her face, "It seems that you're up for it. When then we shall…"

However, as Masumi was about to step forward they heard a voice, "Wait!" All of them turned and saw a young man with a red hood appeared from behind a corner. He pulled off the hood and it revealed Reiji's face, "I'll put an end to this."

Mikleo narrowed his eyes as he knew who that was, "So its you."

Yuya turned around and saw a familiar face he hasn't seen in a long time, Reiji. He was surprised but didn't show it as he just looked at him.

Reiji looked at Yuya, "It's been a long time, Yuya."

Yuya looked back at Reiji, "Hello, Reiji." The others were confused as to how they knew each other as they stared at each other down.

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Gem-Knight Nacre  
** (LV: 4, Rock, EARTH, ATK: 1100, DEF: 1800)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is used as Fusion Material for a "Gem-Knight" Fusion Monster, that monster cannot be destroyed by card effects. When a "Gem-Knight" monster you control is attacked by an opponent's monster, you can banish this card from your Graveyard; you can change the attack target to another "Gem-Knight" you control.

 **Gem-Knight Larim  
** (LV: 5, Rock, EARTH, ATK: 1900, DEF: 2100)  
 _Monster Effect:_ You can banish this card from your Graveyard; Special Summon 1 "Gem-Knight" monster from your Graveyard.

 **Cibell's Dance** (Trap Card) - "Melodious" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle this turn; also any battle damage you take this turn involving "Melodious" monsters is halved.

 **Baila the Melodious Diva  
** (LV: 4, Fairy, LIGHT, ATK: 1300, DEF: 1700)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Special Summoned, you can add 1 "Melodious" card from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand. Once per turn, you can target 1 "Melodious" monster you control; this card cannot attack this turn but the targeted monster gains ATK equal to this card's ATK until the End Phase (even if this card leaves the field).

 **Treasure of Gems** (Magic Card) - Target 3 "Gem-Knights" that are banished; shuffle them into the deck and draw 2 cards.

 **Compound Fusion** (Magic Card) - Fusion Summon 1 "Gem-Knight" Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck, by banishing listed Fusion Materials listed on it from your side of the field or your Graveyard. Once per turn, you can send 1 "Gem-Knight" monster from your hand to the Graveyard; add this card to your hand but you cannot activate it for the rest of the turn.

 **Rhythm Cure** (Trap Card) - Banish up to 2 "Melodious" monsters in your Graveyard; gain life points equal to their combined attack points.

 **Gem-Knight Pallad  
** (LV: 2, Rock, EARTH, ATK: 700, DEF: 400)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, you can draw 1 card.

 **Reinforced Gems** (Trap Card) - "Gem-" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn. If you would take damage from a battle involving a "Gem-Knight" monster, you can banish this card from your Graveyard; the damage you take from that battle is halved.

 **Gem-Knight Tanzan  
** (LV: 6, Rock, EARTH, Fusion, ATK: 2600, DEF: 2000)  
( _2 "Gem-Knight" Monsters_ )  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card destroys a monster by battle, draw 1 card. If this card is destroyed, you can target up to 2 "Gem-" cards that are banished; add them to your hand.

 **Sabers' Gathering** (Magic Card) - When you control 3 or more "X-Saber" monsters on your field, draw 2 cards.

 **Sabers' Rally** (Equip Magic) - Equip it to an "X-Saber" monster you control. The equipped monster gains 300 ATK and you take no battle damage from battles involving that monster.

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime, and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **So yeah, I decided to have all three duels in one chapter because I honestly didn't want to separate them into multiple chapters. It just seemed unnecessary regardless of how long and exhaustive it was for me to make this chapter. I just didn't see a reason to make 3 chapters of this. Officially, this is the longest chapter I've ever written and my brain is exhausted so I hope you guys are happy with this chapter. Over 100,000 words in 8 chapters...didn't think I would write this much this fast. :)**

 **I did shorten Yuya's duel with Hokuto because, frankly, I don't care too much about Hokuto and if Yuya was struggling with him then it would honestly be a little ridiculous given how much I made Yuya strong during the beginning of this story. I apologize if you didn't like that.**

 **After thinking about it for a while, I pretty much decided that I'm probably not going to use Action Cards for the rest of this story especially since I've gotten used to making these duels without using them. So the duel with Ishijima was definitely a one time thing just in case people weren't aware.**

 **But on the bright side, I did make Yuzu's first duel with Masumi longer and more fun than in the anime. I honestly didn't want Yuzu to lose but it honestly had to be done, unfortnately, for her development; same thing with Gongenzaka as well. Even though I like some of the things the first 50 episodes of the anime did, I thought it was stupid for Yuzu to doubt Yuya despite her being his best friend since childhood so I corrected that. Some of you may be wondering why I didn't have Ruri and Rin duel for You Show...Let's be honest, they would defeat both Masumi and Yaiba easily and then I wouldn't be able to do the Reiji duel so it had to be done.**

 **Now, we're getting to Yuya's duel with Reiji which I will say that it won't be exactly like the one in the anime, I'll tell you that much.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Times Have Changed, Different Beliefs -** To settle the dispute between You Show and LDS, Yuya has to duel Reiji, who he has met before six years ago, and as he duels him, Yuya couldn't help but wonder why Reiji changed so much. Meanwhile, Reiji performs something that surprises Yuya and Mikleo tells a story of how Yuya met Reiji to the others.

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	9. Times Have Changed, Different Beliefs

**Thank you to everyone who sent messages and reviewed the last chapter; here's some of my responses:**

 **Mekyaku- They'll duel each other eventually but for now he's dueling Yuya. Otherwise, thank you.**

 **DKILAM- Thank you so much for the praise. :)**

 **Windchaosdemon- Look at the preview and you'll find out. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 9 - Times Have Changed, Different Beliefs**

* * *

Both Yuya and Reiji were staring at each other while not saying anything. The You Show students were watching this confrontation with a mixture of confusion and worryment for Yuya.

Yuya gave a small smile, "It's nice to see you again, Reiji." Even though he was surprised to see Reiji here, it was nice to finally see him again.

Reiji closed his eyes while smiling a little, "Same for me as well."

Ayu was confused from looking at the two of them, "Who's that?"

"Reiji Akaba." Everyone else to see Mikleo speaking with his arms crossed, "The current President of Leo Corporation and…" He then pointed behind him towards Himika, "He also happens to be her son."

Ruri was surprised, "President? Doesn't he look young to be one?" Although she doesn't know who he is, she thought it was a bit surprising to see someone so young working a supposed large company.

Mikleo just shrugged his shoulders while looking back at Ruri, "Maybe. He's around my age but it doesn't matter given how smart he is to run his own company."

Tatsuya looked curious but then had a look of realization on his face, "Wait... _the_ Reiji Akaba?! The same one who is said to be the one of the two youngest duelists in history to be certified in the Pro Circuit?!" Tatsuya knew he heard that name before as he read online about some the best pros in the circuit right now and Reiji was one of them.

Mikleo nodded, "The very same."

Futoshi looked at Tatsuya confused, "How good is this guy?"

Tatsuya looked back at Futoshi with an overwhelmed expression on his face, "It was said that he won the right to be certified into the Pro Circuit at the age of 15 and that was around 3 years ago! I can't recall if he'd ever lost a duel or not." He was feeling overwhelmed from actually meeting Reiji for the first time in his life.

Futoshi then looked surprised after what Tatsuya said, "He's that good?!"

Rin was a little confused, "So then...how does Yuya know him then?" While she doesn't know Reiji or anything about him since she's not from here, she's curious as to how good he is and the fact that Yuya somehow knows him. Everyone was confused as they were wondering the same thing but then turned to Mikleo see if he had an answer.

Mikleo closed his eyes and sighed a bit, "Well, it was a long time ago…" He stopped right there as he didn't want to say anything first.

Himika, however, seemed amused by the conversation with a smile, "Seems you know who Reiji is. So you realize how strong he is."

However, to her surprise, Mikleo turned to look at her with an amused smile as well, "Oh, I'm aware. I just don't think you realize how strong my little brother really is."

Himika scoffed with a smile, "I doubt he's strong enough to face Reiji." From what this guy was saying, Yuya is apparently stronger than she realizes and is strong enough to face Reiji but she doesn't believe that.

Yuzu, having heard everything, turned to Yuya, a little concerned, "Yuya…" She doesn't know much about Reiji as this was the first time she has heard of him as well but is concerned for childhood friend as Reiji is supposedly a really strong duelist.

Gongenzaka looked down at Yuya with a semi-depressed look on his face, "I'm sorry that I, the man Gongenzaka, wasn't strong enough to protect You Show. If I had just won the duel, you wouldn't have this much pressure on you."

However, to Gongenzaka's surprise, Yuya just smiled in response, "It's fine, Gongenzaka. I'll win this for You Show plus I get the chance to face Reiji again." The residents of You Show were a little confused when they heard what Yuya said, " _Again?"_

Reiji just looked at Yuya neutrally, "You seem confident. Let's see how strong you've gotten since our last encounter."

Yuya smirked in response, "Yeah."

Sora was eating some chocolate while looking at Yuya, "Seems like he's ready."

Reiji turned to Mikleo who was staring back at him, both of them studying one of the other. Reiji narrowed his eyes a little, wondering where he has seen him before. He thought Mikleo looked familiar especially since he is Yuya's brother but he never met him before so why does he feel that he's seen him somewhere? He had put that thought aside for later.

He then turned his attention to Yuzu and two other girls he has never seen before although he recognizes one of them that was with them during the events with Sawatari. From the data he received, the pink haired was known Yuzu Hiragi, a childhood friend of Yuya's and is also the daughter of the You Show's owner, Shuzo Hiragi. However, he did not know who the other two were and wondered where they're from. He didn't pay attention to Yuzu and the purple haired girl before mostly because he was focussed on gathering data from Yuya and his Pendulum cards. Now that he has a good look at their faces, what surprised him was the fact that all three of these girls have the exact same face but it didn't make sense, from the records he read, Yuzu is an only child so how would this be possible? Also, the moment he saw their faces, it brought up a memory of an indigo haired girl he met a few years ago, " _Serena."_ He then narrowed his eyes in suspicion, " _I'll have to investigate this later."_

Reiji turned his eyes towards the others, "You all have been cheering him on enough, don't you agree?" He turned back to Yuya, "For now, I would prefer if you stay quiet and watch my duel with Yuya."

Yuya nodded his head and then Reiji went straight towards the arena. Before Yuya could follow him, Mikleo stopped him by putting a hand on his left shoulder.

Although he didn't show it, Mikleo was a little concerned, "Yuya. Are you sure you're ready for this?" Although he believes in his brother's skills, he could not help but think if he's truly ready to face Reiji again.

Yuya steeled his resolve, "I'm sure."

Mikleo looked back at Yuya, "If you want, I could face him for You Show." He was willing to take his brother's place if he feels like he isn't ready yet especially with You Show being on the line.

Yuya smiled and raised a fist, "Don't worry. I'm not the same as before remember."

Mikleo, seeing Yuya's resolve, just nodded in response, "Right." Yuya then walked towards the arena.

After a minute, Reiji and Yuya were staring at each other from a good distance with a lot of intensity inside the duel arena.

Ayu hugged Yuzu as she felt the situation getting really intense, "Big Sis Yuzu, I'm getting scared."

Yuzu bent down and hugged Ayu back, "It will be alright." She then looked at Yuya worried, "Yuya…"

Ruri, while still feeling a little worried for Yuya as well, turned to Mikleo with a curious expression, "Mikleo, how is it that you and Yuya both know Reiji?" She couldn't help but wonder about their history together.

The others looked at Mikleo curious, waiting for an answer. He had his eyes closed and arms crossed before opening them and looking towards Yuya and Reiji with a neutral expression, "I'll tell you later during the duel. For now, let's just watch." He was honestly wondering if Yuya was really going to go all out or not, so he's about to find out. The others were confused by Mikleo's statement before turning back to the arena to see what happens.

Yuya, who had his eyes narrowed before, looked at Reiji with a smile, "Even though You Show is on the line, let's have a fun duel like before, Reiji!" All of his friend then had relieved smiles on their faces as Yuya wasn't giving up or giving into pressure.

Reiji narrowed his eyes, amused by Yuya's statement, "Fun…" He then fixed his glasses, "I see…"

Himika made a mocking sound when she heard that, "Hmph, I wonder how long he will be able to keep smiling…"

Yuya looked at Reiji, "Reiji, if it's alright with you, how about we just have a normal duel?"

Yuya's friends looked at him confused, "Huh?" Was Yuya requesting that it would be just a normal duel with no Action Field. Mikleo, however, was smiling a little bit when he heard that.

Reiji looked at Yuya for a second before closing his eyes, "That's fine with me."

Yuya then turned to look at Shuzo, "Is that fine Principal?"

Shuzo looked surprised by Yuya's request, "Umm...Sure." He then pressed a button, "In that case, let's do this!" The Solid Vision System was activated but there was no Action Field, just the normal duel arena. There was a function in the system where you can choose to have Solid Vision activated with your monsters in solid form while also having no Action Cards or Fields in play. Although, Shuzo didn't think he would ever use this function until now. He now wondered how Yuya was going to handle someone as good as Reiji.

Yuya was smiling, "There's honestly no point to having Action Cards at the moment. Since I think we both want a fair duel." Although he likes using Action Cards, he does like the idea of a fair one-on-one duel with his opponent.

However, he was then confused as he heard Reiji chuckling a little, "What's so funny?"

Reiji smiled a little, "It's just that...you haven't changed at all Yuya. You're still the same kind boy I met." He then looked at Yuya seriously, "However, that kindness is useless in a battlefield. What do you expect to accomplish with that?"

Yuya narrowed his eyes, confused by what Reiji meant by that and why he turned so seriously. He decided to think about it later as they both activated their duel disks and started their duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **REIJI LP: 4000**

Yuya held out his hand to Reiji with a smile, "How about you go first, Reiji?" Reiji closed his eyes, "...Very well."

Reiji drew his card, "My turn, draw!" He looked at his current hand before turning to Yuya again, "I do wonder how much stronger you've gotten since we've last met." He then grabbed a card in his hand, "So I won't hold anything back."

"I activate the Continuous Magic: Contract with the Hellgate." He placed the card in his duel disk and the image of a scroll in front of a gate appeared.

Reiji looked at Yuya, "This card inflicts 1000 points of damage to me during my Standby Phase." Yuya narrowed his eyes at Reiji, seeing that card before and what he can actually do with it.

Yuzu looked at Reiji surprised, "During his own standby phase…" Gongenzaka finished her sentence, "you will use your own card to inflict damage to yourself?"

Reiji looked at his deck, "In addition, once per turn, I can add one "D/D" monster from my deck to my hand." Reiji grabbed a card from his deck and showed it, "I add D/D Cerberus to my hand."

The kids were confused by what Reiji said, "D/D?" They have never heard of that archetype. Sora, who was still looking at the duel, answered, "Different Dimension. It means an alternate plane."

Ayu looked at Sora curious, "How do you know that?"

Sora looked away a little, "I just do…" He didn't want to say that he knew it from the Professor in case he might have to face Reiji in the future.

Yuya narrowed his eyes in confusion when he saw the card Reiji shown, " _Did I just see...green on that card?"_ He was thinking he was seeing things.

Reiji grabbed another card in his hand, "And now I activate another Continuous Magic: Contract with the Hellgate." He played a second copy of the card he played earlier.

Gongenzaka's eyes widened in shock, "What?! Then that means during his next Standby Phase…"

Rin, who was shocked as well, finished the sentence, "He'll take 2000 damage."

Ruri was both shocked and confused by Reiji's move, "Why would he take such a huge risk with those cards?"

"It's how he duels." The others turned to Mikleo, who was the only one besides Yuya that wasn't shocked, still looking at the duel. He turned his eyes towards the others, "Think of it like how he deals with business. You want something then you need to give something in return."

Ruri looked at Mikleo curiously, "And that's why he doing this?"

Mikleo closed his eyes for a few seconds, "Well, there's more than that but watch how he uses them first." They then turned back to the duel.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, " _This is the same strategy he used before so that means I'm already in trouble."_

Reiji grabbed another card that came out of his deck and revealed it, "I add D/D Baphomet to my hand." He put it in his hand before grabbing another card.

"And finally I activate the Continuous Magic: Contract with the Devil King." An image of a swamp monster behind a stone tablet appeared on the field, "This card inflicts 1000 points of damage to me during my Standby Phase."

Yuya looked at Reiji, "So that means 3000 damage. _Although I get the feeling he has a plan behind it._ "

Reiji looked at Yuya, "Contract with the Devil King allows me to Fusion Summon using monsters in my hand or field once per turn." A silhouette of a swamp monster was present on the field momentarily.

Sora's eyes widened in shock and Yuya was surprised a little bit from what they both just heard. Everyone else was surprised as well including Ruri, who had a semi-fearful look on her face.

Reiji smiled as he grabbed two cards, "The monsters I will fuse will be D/D Cerberus and D/D Baphomet." Both monsters went into the colorful vortex.

"Hellhound which bares its fangs! Grotesque being of darkness! In a whirlpool of light from the realm of the dead, become one and give birth to a new king! Fusion Summon! Be born! D/D/D Flame King Temujin ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1500, LV: 6)!" Reiji summoned a fiendish monster that was wearing mostly black armor with red and blue armor underneath; it was also wielding a red and yellow sword and shield.

Yuya looked at the monster in surprise, "He Fusion Summoned…" Reiji didn't Fusion Summon the last time they had a duel together so that means he's definitely gotten stronger as well since they last met.

Gongenzaka gritted his teeth in frustration, "He's a Fusion user as well?!"

Yuzu, however, raised an eyebrow in confusion, "But that doesn't make sense, why risk taking so much damage just to summon a Fusion Monster?"

Ayu looked at the monster in confusion, "This time it's D/D/D…" Tatsuya looked both curious and confused, "There are three D's...What does it mean?"

Sora, however, was staring at Reiji with confusion as he seemed to forgot the chocolate in his hands, "Isn't this...completely different…? Could this be the real thing?" He was shocked that Reiji knows how to Fusion Summon as he didn't hear about that before he came here but what was more surprising was that this summoning seemed completely different from Masumi's.

Ruri was looking Reiji's monster with confusion while frowning, " _It's still not like Academia's Fusion but...something is different...like Yuya's."_

Reiji, however, wasn't finished, "Now then, let's see how you'll handle this then." He then grabbed another card, "I Normal Summon, the Tuner monster, D/D Night Howling ( **ATK: 300** , DEF: 600, LV: 3)!" A fiendish monster that resembled a red mouth with eyes and jaws appeared on the field.

Rin was surprised, "Tuner monster?!"

Yuzu was surprised as well, "Does that mean…?"

Reiji held out his hand, "When this card is Normal Summoned, I can bring back a "D/D" monster from my Graveyard with its effects negated and its ATK and DEF reduced to 0. Be reborn! D/D Baphomet ( **ATK: 1400** → **0** , DEF: 1800→0, LV: 4)!" A chimera-type fiendish monster that resembled an orange goat with wings appeared on the field.

Yuya was surprised a little bit as well, "Then that means…"

Reiji smiled a little while fixing his glasses and then he held out his hand, "I tune my Level 3 Night Howling with my Level 4 Baphomet ( **3 + 4 = 7** )!" Night Howling turned into green energy rings that surrounded Baphomet.

"Howls that tear through the night with the swiftness of a gale give birth to new king! Synchro Summon! Be born! Level 7! D/D/D Gust King Alexander ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7)!" Reiji summoned a fiendish monster that had that wearing blue armor with red underneath and had gems on the armor, a green cape, and was wielding a sword.

Yuya's friends, except for Mikleo who narrowed his eyes, were surprised by Reiji's move. Gongenzaka looked a little overwhelmed, "He wasn't just a Fusion user?!"

Reiji then held out his hand towards Temujin, "Now I activate Flame King Temujin's monster effect!" Temujin raised its sword, "When a "D/D" monster besides this card is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one "D/D" monster from my Graveyard! Be reborn, D/D Cerberus ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 600, LV: 4, PS: 6)!" A fiendish monster that resembled a blue wolf with three heads while wearing chainmail appeared on the field.

"Additionally, I activate Gust King Alexander's monster effect! When a "D/D" monster is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or below "D/D" monster from my Graveyard! Be reborn once more, D/D Baphomet ( **ATK: 1400** )!" Baphomet appeared back on the field alongside Cerberus.

Yuya narrowed his eyes at them, "Two Level 4 monsters...Don't tell me…"

Reiji raised his hand, "I overlay my Level 4 D/D Cerberus and D/D Baphomet!" Both monsters turned into purple energy and went into a dark portal.

Yuzu was shocked, "I-Isn't this…?!" She recognized this summoning method as well. Ruri was shocked as well.

"In order to subjugate all that resides within this world descend now onto the peak of the world! Xyz Summon! Be born! Rank 4! D/D/D Wave King Caesar ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1200, RNK: 4, OVU: 2)!" Reiji summoned a purple armored fiendish monster with silver armor on its shoulders and back, blue clothing underneath and was carrying a large sword with both hands.

Yuya's friends as well as the three aces of LDS all looked amazed at what they have just witnessed while Himika just had a smile on her face and Mikleo just looked at Reiji's monster neutrally.

Sora narrowed his eyes a little, "So he can even use Xyz Monsters…"

Gongenzaka was almost at a lost for words, "T-That guy is something else…"

Ruri was shocked, "Amazing...Three Summoning methods at once…"

Rin agreed, "He did Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Summoning...all in one turn."

Shuzo was looking at the duel, a little unnerved, "To be able to freely manipulate three forms of summoning...this is Reiji Akaba!"

Reiji adjusted his glasses again, "The title "D/D/D" stands for: "Different Dimension Demon." I'm giving you a small taste from the power of the kings that subjugate alternate planes." Yuya narrowed his eyes in response while feeling a little amazed by how much stronger Reiji has gotten from before.

Reiji placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." He then looked at Yuya with both a curious and cautious look on his face. Normally, he would observe his opponent first by holding back a little and then counterattacking full force but this time he's being extra careful with an opponent like Yuya. Now, he's waiting to see how Yuya would respond.

Yuzu looked at Yuya worried, "Yuya…" Normally, she has a lot of faith in Yuya's dueling skills but seeing Reiji perform Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Summoning all in one turn makes her more worried for him than before.

However, to mostly everyone's surprise, they all saw Yuya laughing a little while having his eyes closed. Reiji was watching this with a serious expression but was also curious by what Yuya was doing.

After he stopped laughing, Yuya smirked at Reiji, "Amazing, Reiji. You're even better than before. Especially with three summoning methods in one turn." He raised his fist in excitement, "In case, I'll answer to you back with full force!"

From hearing that, Mikleo then smiled, "It's finally time." The others turned to Mikleo confused before looking back at the duel to see what happens.

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He held a card up in his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Treasure Cards of Adversity! When you control a Special Summoned monster and I don't control any, I can draw 2 cards!" He looked at the cards he drew and smiled.

Yuya then looked at his hand with a small smile, " _It's finally time. Time to show everyone what I'm made of."_

Yuya grabbed a card in his hand, "First, I activate the Magic Card: Pendulum Call! By discarding a card from my hand, I can add two "Magician" Pendulum monsters to my hand from my Deck. I add Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician!" Yuya discarded Thunderhino and then showed the cards he just added.

Reiji narrowed his eyes a little, " _Which means he will Pendulum Summon…"_

"Next, I Normal Summon Entermate Skullcrobat Joker ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 100, LV: 4, PS: 8)!" Skullcrobat Joker appeared on Yuya's field.

"When Skullcrobat Joker is successfully Normal Summoned, I can add an "Entermate", "Odd-Eyes" or "Magician" Pendulum monster from my deck to my hand! I add Fruit Magician to my hand!" He then showed the card he added.

"When I have an "Entermate" monster on my field, I can Special Summon Fruit Magician ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7, PS: 6) from my hand!" Yuya summoned a female magician with long platinum blonde hair and white skin while wearing an eclectic mix of strawberry red and blueberry blue clothing with hints of lavender.

"When Fruit Magician is Special Summoned by this effect, I can draw one card." Yuya drew his card and seeing what he drew, he then activated it immediately.

"I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization!" Yuya placed the card in his duel disk.

Reiji was surprised, "What? _Yuya knows how to Fusion Summon?_ "

Masumi was shocked as she knew that card, "That's…!" The others from LDS including Himika were surprised as well.

Yuya pointed at one of his monsters while holding out another one in his hand, "The monsters I choose to fuse are Entermate Skullcrobat Joker and Entermate Discover Hippo that's in my hand!" Hippo appeared on the field and both it and Joker went into a colorful vortex.

"Colorful trickster of acrobatics! Pink hippo of attractions! Become one with each other in order to form a power to support our allies in need! Fusion Summon! Come forth, Level 5! Entermate Conductor Gecko ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1600, LV: 5)!" Yuya summoned an orange gecko that had face paint over its left eyes along with electric bolt on its back and it had an outlet cord for a tail.

Gongenzaka was shocked as he tried to look closer, "Yuya knows how to Fusion Summon?!" This was the first time he's heard of this. He was both surprised and amazed that his best friends knows how to Fusion Summon.

Yuzu gave Gongenzaka a smile while also looking a little nervous, "Uh...Yeah, sorry we couldn't tell you before."

Gongenzaka back at Yuzu, shocked that everyone other than Rin, who was equally as shocked as him, knew this except him, "When did this happen?!"

Ruri scratched her cheek in semi-nervousness, "Um...During Yuya's duel with Sora."

Gongenzaka then horrified when he heard that, "What?!" He then looked a little depressed, "To think that you all would exclude I, the man Gongenzaka, to such information…"

Rin then came over and patted Gongenzaka on the shoulder for reassurance, "If it makes you feel better, I didn't know about it either."

Gongenzaka felt a little better after hearing that, "Yeah." He then turned to Yuya, "So how long has Yuya known how to Fusion Summon?"

Yuzu looked at Mikleo, "I'm not sure exactly when but Mikleo taught him to Fusion Summon." Gongenzaka then looked at Mikleo, amazed that he knows how to Fusion Summon.

Mikleo opened one of eyes and smiled a little, "That's not all he can do though."

Yuzu was a little confused, "Huh?" But then as soon as she said that, she remembered that Yuya had Synchro Summoned during his duel with Rin so she might have an idea with what he's talking about. She then turned to see what Yuya was about to do next.

Ruri was also confused at first but then had a look of realization as she might have figured out what Yuya was about to do as well.

Sora, who stopped eating his chocolate, looked at Mikleo curiously, "What are you talking about?"

Mikleo didn't turn around but answered, "Just watch and see."

Meanwhile, Reiji narrowed his eyes a little at Yuya's monster as he was surprised by Yuya performing Fusion Summoning, " _There's no record of Yuya Fusion Summoning before so when did he learn how to do it then?"_ He then fixed his glasses again, " _It can't be right now because he pulled it off like he's done it before."_ He then looked at Yuya, " _Is there something about Yuya that the data given isn't showing? If that's the case, then either his win-loss record is false or maybe something else…"_ He decided to wait and see what Yuya is going to do.

Yuya held out his hand, "As long as Conductor Gecko is on my field, all monsters I control gain 400 ATK. Parabolic Charge!" Gecko was conducting electricity from its body as sparks were flying around everywhere, granting Gecko more power.

 **Entermate Conductor Gecko** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2400** )

Yuya then had a look of resolve on his face, "Now then, time to get the show started. I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician!" Yuya placed both cards in the Pendulum Zones as both magicians appeared on the field. The giant pendulum appeared as Yuya started his chant.

"Now I summon monsters with Levels between 2 and 7 at the same time! Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" Three monsters appeared from the portal, "Appear! From the Extra Deck, Entermate Skullcrobat Joker ( **ATK: 1800** → **2200** )! And from my hand, Dragonpit Magician ( **ATK: 900** → **1300** , DEF: 2700, LV: 7, PS: 8) and, the Tuner monster, Entermate Odd-Eyes Sylph ( **ATK: 700** → **1100** , DEF: 800, LV: 2, PS: 5)!" Joker and Dragonpit appeared on the field along with a third monster that was a fairy wearing a leafy dress, had dichromatic eyes, blonde hair, silver wings, and had a star painted over her eyes.

Gongenzaka looked shocked seeing the third monster Yuya summoned, "Tuner monster?!" Everyone else looked shocked except for Mikleo, Yuzu, Rin, and Ruri as they all knew about this before.

The kids were almost speechless with Tatsuya speaking, "Wait but does that mean…" Ayu finished his sentence, "That Big Bro Yuya knows how to…?"

Yuya pointed at Odd-Eyes Sylph, "I now tune my Level 2 Entermate Odd-Eyes Sylph with my Level 4 Entermate Skullcrobat Joker ( **2 + 4 = 6** )!" Sylph turned into green energy rings that surrounded Joker.

"Guardian swordsman with dichromatic eyes, be born into this world with a blade that cuts all who stands against you! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! Entermate Odd-Eyes Plasma Blader ( **ATK: 2600** → **3000** , DEF: 1800, LV: 6)!" Yuya summoned a swordsman that was in silver armor and purple guards on his shoulders and ankles, had green hair and dichromatic eyes, and was carrying a long sword that looked like it was made of plasma energy.

Yaiba himself was surprised, "He knows how to Synchro Summon?"

However, Yuya wasn't done, "And now I overlay my Level 7 Fruit Magician and Dragonpit Magician!" Both monsters turned into purple energy that went into a portal, shocking everyone except for Mikleo and Ruri, who looked amazed.

"Spellcaster that transcends the cosmos! Gather all of your energy and come down to this land to unleash your force upon your foes! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 7! Spacetime Magician ( **ATK: 2800** → **3200** , DEF: 2000, RNK: 7, OVU: 2)!" A magician in a gray robe with white and blue clothing underneath and wearing a gray mask that covered the bottom half of his face appeared on the field; it was also carrying a staff that had a blue orb on the end with stars inside of it.

Sora was so shock by what he saw that he forgot about his candy, "No way...Yuya too…?"

Rin was amazed by what Yuya performed, "Fusion...Synchro...Xyz...all in one turn."

Shuzo was shocked, "Yuya...can do all of that as well…?" Like he was surprised when he revealed that he can Fusion Summon, Shuzo was surprised by the move Yuya just made which was even more impressive.

Yuzu didn't know how to feel other than confusion and amazement for her friend, "Just like Reiji."

Himika had her eyes widened in shock as she couldn't believe it either, "Impossible...Yuya Sakaki knows how to do all three of those methods…?"

The LDS Students were shocked as well as they saw Yuya doing the same thing Reiji just did with Hokuto almost speechless, "T-That guy just…" He was honestly shocked and angry that Yuya was holding back on him evidently by showing he can use Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz.

Ruri, however, didn't seem as shocked as the others since she kind of already knew about this but was still amazed that Yuya pulled off those summoning methods in one turn.

Mikleo seemed a little amused by everyone's reaction and let out a small smirk on his face, happy to see his little brother finally showing his true abilities.

Reiji was also surprised by Yuya performing all three summoning methods but then smiled a little. Reiji then started laughing a little, confusing everyone around and Yuya raised an eyebrow in response.

Reiji soon stopped laughing and had his eyes closed, "I knew something was wrong. I thought it seemed suspicious when I looked at your dueling record and it never showed you gaining more progress as a duelist before." He then pointed at Yuya's monsters, "Now it looks like I've found some answers." He then fixed his glasses again, " _But...why is that the case though? There's obviously some data we're missing so when did this happen?"_

However, Yuya just smiled and looked at Mikleo, "Well, you can thank my brother for that." From hearing that, everyone turned to Mikleo in confusion and then the realization hit.

Tatsuya looked surprised again, "Big Bro Mikleo, you also taught Yuya Xyz and Synchro Summoning?" Mikleo just nodded in response.

Sora narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "And how long did Yuya knew about this?" He was both curious and suspicious as to why Yuya didn't mention anything like this before.

Yuzu looked a little irritated as she wanted some answers, "Mikleo, I think it's time you finally tell us what's going on. How does Yuya know Reiji? And what exactly were you teaching him and for what reason?" Besides Yuya, Mikleo is the only one that has any answers to these questions so she's taking this chance to ask him.

Mikleo just stared at Yuzu for a few seconds before sighing at her persistence. He then turned to face his friends while everyone else were all listening nearby, all of them were curious as well.

Mikleo sighed as he looked at the ceiling a little, "It was around six years ago, back when Yuya first competed in his very first tournament."

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - DUELING ARENA_

 _Flashback (6 years ago)_

"Back then, Yuya was a beginner that recently got some of our father's deck and his own cards. Both my father and I taught him the basics at first and then Yuya really wanted to try out dueling against other people and he wanted to duel in his very first tournament. Not many people know about this cause we kinda did it in secret and plus it wasn't an official tournament. It was more like a practice bracket where you get a small prize, let's just go with that. Anyway, since it was not an official tournament, it wasn't talked about much online or in public."

 _Yuya, who was 10 years old at the time, pointed at one of his monsters, "I attack you directly with Entermate Sleight Hand Magician!" A magician wearing a jester outfit while wearing a mask attacked Yuya's opponent with its staff and connected, making the guy land on his back._

 _ **? LP: 1400**_ → _ **0**_

 _ **YUYA: WIN  
**_ _ **?: LOSE**_

 _Yuya jumped up and down in joy over his victory, "Alright, I won!" He was honestly happy he won the duel._

 _The announcer was excited, "And the winner is Yuya Sakaki! This young kid will be heading to the quarter-finals!"_

 _Mikleo, who was 12 years old at the time, was watching in the stands to see his brother duel and see how well he is. He was looking at Yuya with a happy and impressed look on his face and was clapping for him._

 _Then, as hours passed, Yuya kept beating his opponents left and right although some of them weren't exactly easy. Eventually he won enough to make it the finals of the tournament._

"I have to admit, even though Yuya was a beginner, he was really good for a 10 year old duelist. Even I was surprised by how much he was progressing and, in a way, he's somewhat of a dueling genius. He wasn't perfect as he still made some mistakes here and there during his duels. However, he always managed to bounce back by not giving up on his duels. And honestly, it was mostly because I taught him how to use his cards well, at least for the basics at first."

 _Soon after, Yuya was walking towards the inside of the arena, excited for his final match. He entered the stadium and went to the dueling field._

 _The announcer spoke excitedly as he saw both duelists approaching each other, "It is now time for the final match of the tournament! From our left is the uprising newcomer who shows a lot of talent with crazy hair color and eyes, give it up for the Odd-Eyed Duelist, Yuya Sakaki!" The crowd began to cheer for Yuya as he finally got to his side of the arena and he was rubbing his neck in embarrassment over the cheers he was receiving._

" _And from the other side, we have somebody who's very important in the duelist industry! He's a genius who has never lost before and show us the skills of a pro as well as a king! Give up it for the son of LDS' President, Reiji Akaba!" From the other side, Yuya could see a boy that looks a little older than him. He wore a dark blue sweater with a zig-zag pattern on the chest area and had red glasses over his eyes._

"Whether it was destiny or not, Reiji ended up being Yuya's final opponent and they both gave it everything they got from what I saw."

 _Before their duel started, Yuya waved at Reiji happily, "Hey! Reiji was it? Let's have a fun duel!"_

 _Reiji widened his eyes a little, surprised by this boy's cheerfulness, "U-Uh...Sure."_

"But in the end, Reiji won the duel by controlling most of the match."

 _Reiji pointed at his monster, "Supreme King Kaiser attacks you directly!" Kaiser slashed his sword at Yuya who kneeled down as he took the damage._

 _ **YUYA LP: 2400**_ → **0**

 _ **YUYA: LOSE  
**_ _ **REIJI: WIN**_

 _The crowd was cheering as they saw Reiji's victory and confetti flew everywhere. The announcer was excited again, "And the winner is Reiji Akaba!"_

 _Reiji, while satisfied that he won the duel, was a little relieved as Yuya almost won the duel a couple times so it wasn't easy beating him. He then walked over to the crouching Yuya, curious about how he's taking this loss._

 _However, to his surprise, Yuya looked up at Reiji with a smile on his face, "Oh man, you're really awesome!"_

 _Reiji took a step back in surprise, "W-What?" Is he seriously happy that he lost?_

 _Yuya got back up on his feet and looked fired up, "The way you handle our duel with strategies and monsters was really cool! I had a lot of fun dueling you!" He held out a hand towards Reiji, "Thank you, I'm Yuya!"_

 _Reiji sweatdropped a little and hesitating a little before accepting the handshake with a perplexed expression on his face, "...S-Sure. You're welcome." He then fixed his glasses on his face while looking a little embarrassed, "My name is Reiji."_

"So that's how Yuya met Reiji?" asked Yuzu. She had no idea that Yuya was already dueling so much. It made her feel a little mad at herself for not noticing anything or hearing anything about it before since she is one of Yuya's closest friends.

Mikleo nodded, "Yes, although there's a little more about what happened after. Keep this in mind, I may not know the full story since I'm only going based on what my brother told me. So this is what you get for now." While he knows about Reiji, he's never actually met him in person until now since his brother was the one who actually met him during that time.

 _After the end of the tournament, Reiji was exiting the arena to head home until he heard something calling out to him, "Wait, Reiji!"_

 _Reiji then turned around to see Yuya running towards him much to his confusion. Reiji looked at Yuya as he stopped in front of him, "Yuya? What do you want?"_

 _Yuya smiled cheerfully at Reiji, "I want to learn more about you! So I wanted to see you so we can hang out."_

 _Reiji looked surprised when he heard that, "Huh? What?" What is Yuya talking about? Hang out with him?_

 _Yuya then grabbed his hand and proceeded to pull Reiji outside of the arena towards somewhere as he smiled, "Come on, I want to take you somewhere!"_

 _Reiji couldn't believe what he was seeing: that this boy he literally just met a few minutes ago was dragging him off somewhere without his acknowledgement. Reiji had a look of disbelief and confusion, "H-Hey! Let go! I have to go home to see Mother and Father! They'll be worried sick!" He promised that he would come home soon after he won the tournament but now he was being dragged off somewhere by this boy._

 _Yuya, however, just smiled reassuringly and he looked back at Reiji, "Don't worry, it won't take long I promise. I just want to hang out that's all." Reiji sweatdropped in disbelief at this boy's persistence before reluctantly allowing himself to be dragged off._

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - CENTRAL PARK_

 _When Yuya was finished dragging Reiji, he stopped where they were both in the middle of Central Park with a lot of kids playing on the playground. Reiji saw where they were and sighed a little, "So why did you drag me here again?"_

 _Yuya turned to look at Reiji, "I wanted to know more about you. So I thought the park would be a perfect place to hang out."_

 _Reiji looked at Yuya with confusion, "But...why would you want to know more about me? Especially since we just met?" He couldn't understand why this boy wanted to know about him especially considering who he is._

 _Yuya smiled at Reiji as he raised a fist, "Well, because we dueled. And I had a lot of fun dueling with you so I want to be your friend."_

 _Reiji sweatdropped a little from the simpleness of the answer, "I-I see." While this was bizarre, he strangely didn't mind it as much as he thought it would but he was also curious about this boy himself._

 _After around a few minutes, both Yuya and Reiji were sitting on a bench talking to each other. Reiji looked at Yuya curiously, "I don't get how you can be so cheerful when it comes to dueling."_

 _Yuya looked at Reiji confused, "What do you mean?"_

 _Reiji then looked down a little at the ground while looking a little depressed, "My father and mother are important people in Leo Corporation and they expect me to carry their legacy whenever I grew and that includes dueling. I've only been dueling for their acknowledgement." Since he's started dueling, Himika has been expecting great things from Reiji so he's always has these expectations pushed on him so he can't enjoy dueling much._

 _Yuya had a look of disbelief on his face, somewhat understanding what Reiji is saying, "...But didn't you have fun in our duel?"_

 _Reiji was confused, "Huh? What fun? How can you still be happy when you lost?" He really can't comprehend how Yuya can still be happy after experiencing failure._

 _Yuya got up and started waving his arms excitedly, "But that's part of what makes dueling fun! Whether you win or lose, if you're clashing back and forth with each other, it's a fun competition! If you lose, you can get back up and try again next time! I also believe dueling can bring happiness to a lot of people!"_

 _Reiji was a little surprised and then looked down at the ground, "I...never thought of it like that." He was always dueling for his mother and father's sake so it never occurred to him how dueling can actually be fun for both him and his opponent. He needed some time to think about this._

 _However, to his surprise, he saw Yuya reaching another hand out to him, "Hey, Reiji? Would you like to be friends?" Yuya was honestly hoping Reiji would accept as he would like to talk to him more and also so he can get a rematch in the future._

 _Reiji was shocked by Yuya's offer, "Huh?" Since he's the son of LDS' President, Leo Akaba, he's been trained to be as good as a professional duelist. It does grant popularity in public but, most of the time, while in school, kids would avoid Reiji as they either were too scared of his dueling skills or they didn't want to potentially upset his mother or father and bring their wrath upon them. Because of this, he's always been lonely since he was young but now Yuya is offering to be his first friend. He's not sure what to say._

 _Reiji's hand was slowly reaching towards Yuya's, ready to accept his offer until they both heard a voice shouting, "Mr. Akaba!" They turned to see a man with black hair and grey bangs at the front who wearing a grey suit and blue-lensed hexagonal glasses._

 _The man stopped in front of Reiji and placed his hands on Reiji's shoulders while looking worried, "Are you right sir? You didn't come back from the tournament and your mother was worried!"_

 _Reiji looked apologetic, "I apologize, Mr. Nakajima."_

 _Nakajima then showed that there was a limousine waiting for him, "Let's get going, your mother will be more worried if you don't show up soon."_

 _Reiji seemed a little reluctant as he honestly wanted to talk more with Yuya but eventually complied, "I understand."_

 _To Yuya's dismay, Reiji was being guided back to the limousine by Nakajima. However, before Reiji was inside the vehicle, he heard Yuya's voice, "Reiji! Let's meet again sometime! Then we can be friends!" He turned to see Yuya waving at him happily._

 _Reiji was surprised again before letting a small smile escape his lips and waved right back. He then got inside the vehicle as it drove away from Central Park._

 _Flashback End._

* * *

"And that's what happened. That is how both Yuya and Reiji met each other." Mikleo had his eyes closed as he finished his story. Everyone was surprised by the story Mikleo gave to everyone as neither one of them had no idea this happened except for Yuya, who smiled at the memory, and Reiji, who didn't show any emotion to hearing it.

Yuzu looked at Mikleo, "I had no idea." Who knew that Yuya had such a history with such an important person as Reiji? It honestly amazed her a little bit.

Tatsuya was processing the information, "So Big Bro Yuya got to duel Reiji way before all of this?" He was a little envious of Yuya since he got the chance to duel a potential pro duelist such as Reiji.

Ayu was curious, "Wait, but then when did Big Bro Yuya learn how to use Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Summon from you Big Bro Mikleo? And for what?" Everyone was a little surprised but then looked at Mikleo for an answer as she had a point.

Mikleo didn't give a straight answer to that except when he then turned to watch the duel again, "Let's save that explanation after this duel. I think it might be better to wait until then." He then closed his eyes, "Although, I say this: throughout most of Yuya's duels, he has been holding back a lot of potential but now he's finally starting to show it."

Sora narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Mikleo, "What do you mean?" What did Mikleo mean by Yuya was holding back? It wasn't possible, was it?

Mikleo then turned to look at Sora and bluntly said, "...For example, in your duel with Yuya, Sora, he was holding back on you."

Sora then frowned and narrowed his eyes even more, almost a little irritated by what he was hearing, "...What? How was Yuya holding back?"

"One of the monsters Yuya summoned was Entermate Security Jackal and it was a Tuner monster." Mikleo revealed what Yuya was hiding before.

Sora looked a little shocked, "What? _A Tuner monster? But wait…"_ That Yuya meant that could have potentially Synchro Summoned during their duel but he didn't for some reason.

Mikleo wasn't done, "Also, remember the Pendulum Monsters Yuya used?"

Sora then looked confused, "Dragonpit Magician and Dragonpulse Magician. Why?"

Mikleo then closed his eyes, "If you remembered that Yuya had Odd-Eyes Swordsman which was a Pendulum Monster in his hand before he summoned it, he could have use their Pendulum Effects. Dragonpulse Magician's Pendulum Effect allows Yuya to discard one Pendulum Monster from his hand in order to destroy a monster on the field and Dragonpit Magician can be used to destroy a Magic or Trap card as well."

Sora was now completely shocked, " _It had that effect?"_ He was clenching his chocolate as he was processing that information, " _But wait that means...Yuya could have destroyed Death-Toy Scissor Bear with Dragonpulse Magician's effect or stopped me from using my trap with Dragonpit Magician. Instead, he summoned Swordsman to the field."_

Sora then looked at Yuya, who had an apologetic look on his face before turning to face Reiji again. Sora narrowed his eyes as he clenched his candy even harder, " _Was...Was he seriously holding back on me? Was he underestimating me?"_ It honestly irritated him to no end if he was being underestimated and from Mikleo was saying, to him, it sounded Yuya was underestimating him during their duel but didn't show it and that irritated him a lot.

Mikleo, who kind of expected that type of reaction, turned to face the duel once again, "All will be clear soon. For now, I say we just watch and see what happens from here on out." Everyone turned to watch the duel, while both a little irritated and disappointed that they can hear the rest of the story, understanding that their school was still on the line and Yuya was fighting with everything he's got now. Sora, reluctantly, calmed down a little and watched as well while actually curious to see how strong Yuya really is.

Reiji, who heard everything Mikleo said, closed his eyes, "I see. So that explains why your dueling record only has around a 60% win-loss rate. You were holding back in your duels." He then looked at Yuya curiously, "But for what reason could you possibly have to hold back in a duel?" He narrowed his eyes seriously, "It might be your kindness as you might be reluctantly to defeat your opponent but that's naive thinking."

Yuya just looked at the ground, "Well...part of that is the reason. But also, you should know Reiji. I also do it for the fun of the duel."

Reiji raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "For fun?"

Yuya then closed his eyes with a smile on his face, "Maybe it is naive for me to think that way but it is who I am. Sure, I want to get stronger but I mostly want to duel for the fun of it and make people happy while dueling it. It's similar to how my dad duels."

Reiji looked at Yuya, "Your father, Yusho Sakaki, I presume?"

Yuya nodded, "Yeah. Did you know him?" Since he was the President of LDS, he couldn't help but wonder if Reiji ever met him or something.

However, they heard Yaiba make a mocking sound, "Of course we know about him, he's pretty famous after all."

Hokuto then had a mocking smirk on his face, "He's the former Duel Champion who ran away in fear from the title match five years ago."

Yuya glared at the both of them and was about to say something before Reiji sent them a dangerous glare their way, "Shut up!" Yuya turned towards Reiji in surprise from seeing him defend his father.

Yaiba and Hokuto took a step back, trembling in fear and then Masumi sighed, "Idiots."

Reiji then gave Yuya an apologetic look, "Please forgive me, Yuya. Of course I know your father. He's one of the pioneers that lead to creating Entertainment Duels and Action Duels. I respect him from the bottom of my heart."

Yuya smiled a little from hearing Reiji praise his father, "Reiji…"

However, Reiji then held out a hand towards Yuya while smiling a little, "Since that is the case, I'll have you show your dueling style inherited from Yusho and see if you can prove me wrong or not. Especially since we're both now holding nothing back."

Reiji then pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Lease Laundering! With this card, all "Contract" cards in my Magic and Trap Zones on my field are destroyed!" As soon as he soon as he said that, all three of Reiji's face-up cards were destroyed.

Yuya narrowed his eyes at Reiji, knowing he did that so he won't take damage during his next turn.

Yuzu was a little surprised, "He got rid of his "Contract" cards."

Ruri was a little amazed, "That's why he was willing to risk using those cards, so he can use their effects and destroy them afterwards to not pay any life points."

Reiji looked at Yuya, "Due to Lease Laundering's effect, I get to draw a card for every "Contract" card that was destroyed by this effect and then I gain 1000 LP for every card I draw." Reiji drew three cards from his deck as he gained life points.

 **REIJI LP: 4000** → **7000**

Yuya, however, smiled a little, "I knew it wasn't going to be that easy since you are a genius after all." Reiji didn't say anything in response to that.

Yuya pointed at his monsters, "Battle! I attack Gust King Alexander with Spacetime Magician!" Spacetime Magician was charging up a dark magic sphere from his staff but, however, nobody didn't notice that Reiji was smiling as one of Caesar's Overlay Units disappeared except for Mikleo who narrowed his eyes in response.

 **D/D/D Wave King Caesar** ( **OVU: 2→1** )

Spacetime Magician launched a dark magical sphere at Alexander which was consumed by the sphere as it grew larger and then it was destroyed.

 **REIJI LP: 7000** → **6300**

"Entermate Conductor Gecko's effect activates! When a monster I control destroys an opponent's monster by battle, it inflicts 200 damage to my opponent!" Gecko charged up electricity and blasted it at Reiji who grunted a little from the shock.

 **REIJI LP: 6300** → **6100**

"Entermate Odd-Eyes Plasma Blader attack Wave King Caesar!" Plasma Blader charged forward and both him and Caesar had a short sword fight before Plasma Blader slashed and destroyed Caesar. Gecko charged electricity again and shocked Reiji.

 **REIJI LP: 6100** → **5500** → **5300**

Reiji, however, didn't seem fazed by his monsters getting destroyed when he was looking at Yuya, "When Wave King Caesar is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can add one "Contract" card from my Deck to my hand." Reiji added a card to his hand because Caesar's effect.

"When Plasma Blader destroys a monster by battle, I can add an "Odd-Eyes" from my Deck to my hand." Yuya also added a card to his hand because Blader's effect.

"Entermate Conductor Gecko attack Flame King Temujin!" Gecko unleashed huge waves of electricity that shocked Temujin and destroyed. Because of its own effect, Gecko then shocked Reiji again.

 **REIJI LP: 5300** → **4900** → **4700**

"When Temujin is destroyed by battle, I can add one "Contract" card from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Contract with the Hellgate back to my hand." Reiji added Hellgate back to his hand after he showed it to Yuya.

Tatsuya was excited, "Alright! Big Bro Yuya got rid of all of Reiji's monsters!"

Futoshi was doing a happy dance, "I'm getting the shivers!"

Gongenzaka seemed happy for his best friend, "Keep it up, Yuya."

Shuzo was cheering, "Ah! Hot-Blooded!"

Rin was smiling, "Now, Yuya has more of a chance to win this." From seeing Reiji summoned multiple monsters from different summoning methods, made her think that it will more hard for Yuya to defeat him but now that she has seen Yuya also pull off the same thing, she sees more of a chance now.

Ruri looked at Yuzu with a smile, "Isn't this great, Yuzu?"

Yuzu nodded, "Yeah." She then to see Yuya while looking a little envious as she was seeing him in sort of a new light but he's still the same person, " _Yuya…"_

Sora, however, didn't say anything other than narrowing his eyes while being slightly impressed with Yuya's skills.

Mikleo, to everyone's confusion, still didn't look satisfied as he still had his eyes narrowed, "Not quite."

Then, as Yuya's Battle Phase was over, to their surprise, three dark portals appeared on Reiji's field before Temujin, Alexander, and Caesar all appeared back on the field.

 **D/D/D Flame King Temujin** ( **ATK: 2000** )  
 **D/D/D Gust King Alexander** ( **ATK: 2500** )  
 **D/D/D Wave King Caesar** ( **ATK: 2400** )

Yuya was a little surprised, "What? How are they back?" He thought he destroyed them. Did Reiji activate another effect while he wasn't paying attention?

Reiji just smiled in response, "Before you attacked, I activated Wave King Caesar's effect. By using an Overlay Unit, during either players' turn, Caesar allows me to Special Summon any amount of monsters that were destroyed this turn during the end of the Battle Phase. However, if I use this effect, I take 1000 damage during my next Standby Phase for every monster that was brought back from this effect."

Ayu was pondering for a second, "He summoned back three monsters so that means…"

Tatsuya finishing her sentence while looking a little surprised, "He take 3000 damage during his next Standby Phase!"

Yuya didn't say anything in response, a little disappointed he couldn't get rid of Reiji's monsters completely this turn. He then pointed at Spacetime Magician, "I activate Spacetime Magician's effect. Once per turn, by using an Overlay Unit, I add a DARK monster to my hand." Yuya added a card to his hand as one of Spacetime's Overlay Units disappeared.

 **Spacetime Magician** ( **OVU: 2→1** )

Yuya grabbed two cards in his hand, "I set two cards and end my turn."

"My turn, Draw!" Reiji drew his card as he then looked at Yuya, "Due to Caesar's effect, I take 3000 damage."

 **REIJI LP: 4700** → **1700**

However, Reiji then smiled a little as he showed a card in his hand, "When I take effect damage, I can Special Summon D/D/D Rebel King Leonidas ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 1200, LV: 7, PS: 3) from my hand!" Reiji summoned a fiendish monster that resembled a knight in golden, black, and blue armor with a red cape while wielding a blue sword with jagged spikes on both sides of it.

"And then I gain LP equal to the damage I just took." Leonidas then glowing green while went toward Reiji, healing him.

 **REIJI LP: 1700** → **4700**

Reiji held out his hand, "And due to Alexander's effect, I bring back D/D Cerberus ( **ATK: 1800** ) from my Graveyard!" Cerberus was then brought back to Reiji's field.

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little, impressed by Reiji's move although he was more confused when he saw Reiji showing Leonidas, " _I thought I was imagining it but this time I know I saw green on that card. But how can that be, unless...No…"_ If it was what Yuya thinks it is, how would that be possible? He didn't have time to think as Reiji was still continuing his turn.

Reiji then placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Contract with the Ritual Djinns." A card appeared on the field that resembled a gate behind djinn monsters with blue flames around them.

Yuya was surprised by the name, "Ritual?" Did that mean what he think it is?

Reiji fixed his glasses, "During each of my Standby Phases, I take 1000 damage. However, in exchange, once per turn I can Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from my hand or Deck using monsters in my hand or field as tributes." Yuya was a little surprised from hearing the effect. The others were surprised by what Reiji said.

Yuzu was surprised, "Wait...Ritual Summon?" That was the fourth summoning she hasn't seen before. Although, she has heard of it before, she doesn't know how exactly it is performed so she was very surprised from hearing that.

Meanwhile, the others except for Sora and Mikleo seemed confused as neither of them ever heard of Ritual Summoning.

Futoshi was lost, "Wait...what is this?"

Tatsuya looked like he was trying to remember, "Ritual Summon? I could swear I've heard about it before."

Mikleo spoke, making the others turn towards him, "It's a summoning method not many people use much anymore. It was around the same time Fusion Summoning was invented as well. Similar to Fusion Summoning, Ritual Summoning usually requires a Magic Card in order to summon it to the field. However, the differences are that the monsters are tributed instead of simply sending them to the Graveyard and the monsters tributed have to have a combined Level equal or more than Ritual Monster's Level plus the Ritual Monster has a blue color similar to how Synchro is white and Fusion is Purple. Another difference is that instead of the Ritual Monster being in your Extra Deck, it's actually either in your hand or Deck when you summon it."

Ruri seemed a little amazed by this information, "In your Deck? Wait, so it's not considered an Extra Deck Summoning?" This was honestly the first time she has heard of Ritual Summoning and was a little intrigued by it.

Rin was pondering something, "Fusion, Pendulum, Xyz, and Ritual...I had no idea there were so many other methods."

Yuzu then seem to realize something, "Wait, so that means that Reiji also has Ritual Monsters along with Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz."

Gongenzaka seemed concerned for Yuya, "And that can't be good for Yuya."

Reiji showed a card in his hand, "I tribute D/D Cerberus on my field and D/D Pandora that's in my hand." Both monsters were on the field before a temple-like structure appeared behind Reiji. Both of them then turned into blue flames which surrounded the temple and the door to it opened, making a monster appear.

"Heavenly king sent by the Gods! Come down to this earth and lay down your judgement upon your reign! Ritual Summon! Be born! Level 8! D/D/D Radiant King Cyrus ( **ATK: 2900** , DEF: 2200, LV: 8)!" Reiji summoned a fiendish monster that had yellow and blue armor with a purple cape. It was wearing a crown-shaped helmet with horns on each end and it was wielding a spear in its right hand. Mostly everyone was amazed by seeing an actual Ritual Summon performed.

Yuya looked really impressed while looking at Reiji's new monster, "Amazing...He know Ritual Summoning as well."

However, Reiji wasn't done as he held up a card in his hand, "I tribute Wave King Caesar and Rebel King Leonidas in order to Tribute Summon D/D/D Supreme Dragon King Pendragon ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 2400, LV: 7)!" Caesar and Leonidas vanished from the field and a fiendish black dragon appeared in their place that had spiked armor all around its body and also had small jet turbines on some of its body parts.

"When Caesar is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can add a "Contract" card from my Deck to my hand." Reiji added another card to his hand due to Caesar's effect.

"I activate the Continuous Magic: Contract with the Hellgate once again in order to add D/D/D Great Death King Hell Armageddon to my hand." He added another monster to his hand before showing it momentarily to Yuya.

"I activate the Magic Card: Pot of Greed which allows me to draw 2 cards." Reiji drew two more cards thanks to his Magic card.

Reiji placed another card in his duel disk, "I now activate the Continuous Magic: Deceitful Contract with the War Deity. During each of my Standby Phases, I take 1000 damage. However, once per turn, I target one "D/D" monster on my field and increase its ATK by 1000 while an opponent's monster loses 1000 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase."

Yuya was a little surprised, "What?"

Reiji pointed at Temujin, "I select Flame King Temujin and Spacetime Magician." The card then made one monster stronger while the other one weaker.

 **D/D/D Flame King Temujin** ( **ATK: 2000** → **3000** )  
 **Spacetime Magician** ( **ATK: 3200** → **2200** )

Reiji showed a card in his hand, "Next, by sending a "D/D" or "Contract" card from my hand or field to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon, the Tuner monster, D/D Lamia ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 1900, LV: 1)!" Contract with Ritual Djinns was sent to the Graveyard and then a fiendish female snake-like monster appeared on the field that was violet-red and white with a dark blue-purple tail.

Yuya was surprised again, "Another tuner? But that means…"

He couldn't finish his sentence as Reiji was still talking with his hand held out, "I tune my Level 1 Lamia with my Level 7 Gust King Alexander!" Both monsters went into the air as Lamia became an energy that surrounded Alexander.

"Climb over the corpses of heroes, carry your bloodstained blade! Synchro Summon! Be born! Level 8! D/D/D Cursed Blood King Siegfried ( **ATK: 2800** , DEF: 2200, LV: 8)!" Reiji summoned a fiendish monster with white, long hair and was wearing a red cape and blue, silverish shiny armor over its body. It was also carrying a longsword in its left hand.

"And because of Temujin's effect, I can bring back a "D/D" monster from my Graveyard. Be reborn, D/D/D Gust King Alexander ( **ATK: 2500** )!" Alexander was summoned back to field almost immediately after it just left it.

Reiji now had five monsters on his field of which all of them were really powerful, shocking everyone around the field.

Yuzu looked overwhelmed and worried for Yuya, "No way...five monsters on his field…Yuya…"

Reiji looked at Yuya, "I activate Radiant King Cyrus's effect. Once per turn, I can return a Magic or Trap to my hand and then all "DD" monsters I control gain 600 ATK until the End Phase. I return Hellgate back to my hand." Hellgate left the field and was returned to his hand before Cyrus raised his spear and gave power to all of Reiji's monsters.

 **D/D/D Radiant King Cyrus** ( **ATK: 2900** → **3500** )  
 **D/D/D Flame King Temujin** ( **ATK: 3000** → **3600** )  
 **D/D/D Supreme Dragon King Pendragon** ( **ATK: 2600** → **3200** )  
 **D/D/D Cursed Blood King Siegfried** ( **ATK: 2800** → **3400** )  
 **D/D/D Gust King Alexander** ( **ATK: 2500** → **3100** )

Rin now looked worried for Yuya, "He has five monsters with over 3000 ATK…"

Ruri, still trying to be positive, cheered, "Don't give in Yuya!"

Reiji then pointed at Pendragon, "I now activate Pendragon's effect. Once per turn, discarding a card from my hand…" He sent a card from his hand to Graveyard and then pointed back at Yuya, "It can destroy one Magic or Trap on the field." Pendragon launched a fiery blast towards one of Yuya's face downs and, before it was destroyed, it flipped face-up to reveal it was Half-Unbreak before being destroyed. Yuya gritted his teeth a little in response.

"Furthermore, Pendragon gains 500 ATK until the end of my turn."

 **D/D/D Supreme Dragon King Pendragon** ( **ATK: 3200** → **3700** )

Reiji pointed at Yuya's monsters, "Battle! I attack Entermate Conductor Gecko with Cursed Blood King Siegfried!" Siegfried jumped up into the air and swung his huge sword towards Gecko and destroyed.

 **YUYA LP: 4000** → **3000**

"When Conductor Gecko is destroyed, I can add an "Entermate" or "Odd-Eyes" monster to my hand." Yuya added a card to his thanks to his monster's effect. Since Gecko was destroyed, its effect disappears as well.

 **Spacetime Magician** ( **ATK: 2200** → **1800** )  
 **Entermate Odd-Eyes Plasma Blader** ( **ATK: 3000** → **2600** )

"Supreme Dragon King Pendragon attacks Spacetime Magician!" Pendragon was charging up his power to launch towards Spacetime Magician but Yuya held out his hand.

"I activate Spacetime Magician's monster effect! By using an Overlay Unit, it switches a monster's battle position!" After of his Overlay Units vanished, Spacetime launched a dark sphere of gravity magic that hit Pendragon, forcing it to stop charging and went into defense position.

 **Spacetime Magician** ( **OVU: 1→0** )  
 **D/D/D Supreme Dragon King Pendragon** ( **ATK: 3700** → **DEF:** **2400** )

Reiji, however, still didn't seem fazed, "Then I attack Spacetime Magician once more with Radiant King Cyrus!" Cyrus charged forward and stabbed Spacetime with its spear, destroying Spacetime.

Yuya pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Defense Draw! Now all damage from this attack is reduced to 0 and I draw a card! Furthermore, since Spacetime was destroyed, I get to add a "Magician" monster to my hand." Yuya drew a card while adding another to his hand after blocking the damage.

"Flame King Temujin attacks Entermate Odd-Eyes Plasma Blader!" Temujin charged forward and began a sword fight with Plasma Blader as it was blocking and defending some of Temujin's attacks.

Before Temujin could finish it, Yuya, who was being protected by Plasma Blader, had his arms crossed, "I banish Entermate Thunderhino from my Graveyard in order to negate Plasma Blader's destruction!" Thunderhino was banished before Temujin finally managed to slash through Plasma Blader but it wasn't destroyed.

Reiji looked at Yuya, "But you still take damage!"

 **YUYA LP: 3000** → **2000**

Reiji pointed at Alexander, "Finally I attack Plasma Blader once again with Gust King Alexander!" Alexander unleashed whirlwinds around itself before slashing through Plasma Blader and destroying it. The blast from the explosion made Yuya get pushed backwards and fall on his back.

 **YUYA LP: 2000** → **1500**

Yuzu was worried, "Yuya!" After almost gaining the upper hand, Reiji took it back and now Yuya was in more trouble than before which made her worry again.

Yuya then got up and brushed off the dirt from his pants while seemingly unharmed from the blast.

Reiji looked at Yuya, "Since it is the end of the Battle Phase, the effect of War Deity ends as well."

 **D/D/D Flame King Temujin** ( **ATK: 3600** → **2600** )

Reiji grabbed a card and placed it in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." A face down appeared on Reiji's field. Since it is the end of Reiji's turn, both the effects of Cyrus and Pendragon end as well.

 **D/D/D Radiant King Cyrus** ( **ATK: 3500** → **2900** )  
 **D/D/D Flame King Temujin** ( **ATK: 2600** → **2000** )  
 **D/D/D Supreme Dragon King Pendragon** (ATK: 3700→2600)  
 **D/D/D Cursed Blood King Siegfried** ( **ATK: 3400** → **2800** )  
 **D/D/D Gust King Alexander** ( **ATK: 3100** → **2500** )

Himika made a sound like she was satisfied while smiling, "Hmph. Even though Yuya Sakaki knows Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz, he's still no match for Reiji."

Yuya placed his fingers on his Deck, "My turn, draw!" He looked at the card he drew and then held up his hand, "With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Five monsters appeared from the portal, "Appear from the Extra Deck, Entermate Skullcrobat Joker ( **ATK: 1800** )! And from my hand, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7, PS: 4), Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2700** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7, PS: 8), Odd-Eyes Magician ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1500, LV: 6, PS: 8), and Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon ( **ATK: 2800** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7)!" Skullcrobat Joker, Odd-Eyes, Odd-Eyes Arc, and Odd-Eyes Magician all appeared on the field along with a fifth monster that was a red dichromatic dragon with silver, yellow, and blue armor all around its body; it also had sharp saber-like swords sticking out from its back.

Reiji narrowed his eyes, "Five monsters at once?" This was honestly the first time he's seen Pendulum Summon with five monsters.

Rin looked curious at one of Yuya's monsters, "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon?" This was honestly the first time she's seen Yuya summon this monster and thought it looked strangely a little similar to Yugo's Clear Wing. She's also getting a funny feeling in her chest though she's doesn't notice nor does she know that Yuzu and Ruri are also feeling the same thing.

Yuya pointed at his monsters, "Odd-Eyes Magician's effect activates! All Pendulum Monsters I control gain 500 ATK!" Yuya turned to Magician and nodded. Odd-Eyes Magician nodded back before raising his staff and powering up all of Yuya's monsters except for Odd-Eyes Saber.

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 2500** → **3000** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 2700** → **3200** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2300** → **2800** )  
 **Entermate Skullcrobat Joker** ( **ATK: 1800** → **2300** )

Yuya smiled a little as he pointed at his ace monster, "Battle! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack Flame King Temujin! Spiral Strike Burst!" Odd-Eyes spun around and launched his fiery blast towards Temujin while yelling, " _Take this!"_

Reiji was about to activate his trap until Yuya saw what he was trying to do, "Not going to happen Reiji! Stargazer Magician's Pendulum Effect! When a Pendulum Monster attacks, your not allowed to activate Magic Cards until the end of the Damage Step! And Timegazer Magician's Pendulum Effect! When a Pendulum Monster attacks, your not allowed to activate Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step! Horoscope Divination! Inverse Gear Wise!" Reiji's face down looked frozen for a moment as Reiji couldn't activate.

The blast hit Temujin who was barely blocking all of it while Yuya wasn't done, "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's monster effect! When it battles a monster, the damage inflict is doubled! Reaction Force!" The blast got more larger and powerful and blasted through Temujin, destroying it.

 **REIJI LP: 4700** → **2700**

Reiji dusted off his shirt and then looked at Yuya, "When Temujin is destroyed by battle, I can add one "Contract" card from my Graveyard to my hand. I add another Contract with the Hellgate back to my hand."

Yuya looked back at Reiji, "Because I activated a Pendulum Effect, I can draw a card thanks to Odd-Eyes Magician's effect." He then drew his card and added it to his hand.

Before Yuya could attempt to continue, Reiji held out his hand, "I activate Cursed Blood King Siegfried's monster effect. During either players' turn, I can negate the effects of one face-up Magic or Trap on the field until the next Standby Phase. I choose to negate the Pendulum Effect of Timegazer Magician." Siegfried sent a shockwave from his sword towards Timegazer which made him get binded by chains momentarily.

Rin was a little confused, "Eh? How did he do that?" She was confused as to how Reiji negated Timegazer's Pendulum Effect since it is a monster.

Ruri looked at Rin, "Pendulum Monsters that are in the Pendulum Zones are treated as Magic Cards." Rin was a little surprised by the revelation.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, wondering what Reiji was up to since he wanted to activate his face down earlier so it might be that. He then pointed at Odd-Eyes Saber, "I now attack Gust King Alexander with Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon!" Odd-Eyes launched itself forward and slashed Alexander with its sharp claws, destroying Alexander.

 **REIJI LP: 2700** → **2400**

"Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon's monster effect! When it destroys a monster by battle, I can destroy another monster on your field! I choose Radiant King Cyrus!" As a result of Saber's effect, Cyrus was then destroyed.

Reiji, however, had a small smile on his face, "When Radiant King Cyrus is destroyed, I can add a _certain_ "D/D" monster to my hand. I add DD Magical Savant Galilei." He took a card from his Deck and show it to Yuya momentarily before adding it to his hand.

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little, wondering what Reiji meant by a "certain" D/D monster but shook his head and pointed at his other monsters, "I attack Supreme Dragon King Pendragon with Odd-Eyes Magician! Spiral Magic!" Odd-Eyes Magician jumped up in the air while smiling, " _As you wish, I will assist my Master!"_ Magician then charged up and launched a colorful blast towards Pendragon, destroying it.

"I continue with Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon attacking Cursed Blood King Siegfried!" Odd-Eyes Arc unleashed his clear grayish blast towards Siegfried and destroyed it.

 **REIJI LP: 2400** → **2000**

Reiji, once again, didn't seem fazed, "When Cursed Blood King Siegfried is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 LP for every "Contract" card I control." Reiji only had one on his field so he gained 1000 LP.

 **REIJI LP: 2000** → **3000**

Gongenzaka gritted his teeth a little, "He regained life so he wouldn't lose this turn!"

Ruri, however, was looking happy to Yuya getting the upper hand, "But at least destroyed them all this time."

Rin cheered, "Go for it, Yuya!"

Yuya smiled and then pointed at Joker, "Finally, I attack you directly Reiji with Skullcrobat Joker!" Joker charged forward and hit Reiji with a kick, causing a small explosion around him because of the damage given.

Yuya and everyone in You Show were now getting a little excited to see him get the upper hand again; however, to their surprise, when the explosion cleared, Reiji seemed unharmed from the kick and his life points didn't change.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "How did you negate the damage?"

Reiji then pointed at his recently activated trap, "I activated the Trap Card: D/D/D Contract Change. By banishing a "D/D/D" monster from my Graveyard with the highest ATK, I can reduce damage to 0." Cyrus was banished as Reiji took no damage from Joker's attack.

A card then appeared from Reiji's Deck as he grabbed it, "And then I add another _certain_ Level 4 or below "D/D" monster to my hand. I add D/D Magical Savant Kepler." He showed the card to Yuya momentarily before returning it to his hand.

Yuya narrowed his eyes even more, a little disappointed he couldn't deal more damage to Reiji. However, he was more confused when Reiji said a "certain" D/D monster again, " _What certain monster is he talking about? He added monsters called Magical Savants but what are they for?"_ He decided to be a little careful about what Reiji might do.

Yuya grabbed a card, "I set a card and end my turn."

Rin sighed a little while holding her chest, "This is getting intense."

Ruri nodded in agreement, "Yeah. But at least Yuya is okay for now."

Yuzu smiled a little while looking a little confused, "I wonder...if Yuya has always been this strong before." She feeling a little envious of her close friend since he's basically gotten better while leaving her in the dust a little.

Gongenzaka looked at Yuzu, "Either way, at least he has more of a chance to win."

Yuzu nodded in agreement and cheered, "Keep it up, Yuya!"

Mikleo, however, seemed a little sceptical of the situation especially concerning those Magical Savants monsters Reiji added to his hand earlier and wondered what he was about to do with them.

Sora had the same thought as well as he narrowed his eyes at Reiji, "Those two cards…"

Yuya then smiled and laughed, "Just like before, you're amazing Reiji. I can't wait to see what you have in store for me next."

Reiji looked at Yuya, "Likewise, you have done very well in this duel Yuya." He then fixed his glasses, "You are performing much better in this duel than I have expected and you have allowed me to personally experience the nature of Pendulum Summoning…" He then looked at Yuya again, "now it's your turn."

Yuya raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Huh? _What did he mean by that? I'll experience Pendulum Summoning…?_ " Yuya's eyes then widened a little from shock, " _No...he can't mean…!"_

However, Reiji continued, "I'll have you confirm whether or not Pendulum Summoning is unique to you in your own eyes."

Reiji placed his fingers on his Deck, "My turn, draw." Due to the effect of War Deity, Reiji took 1000 damage.

 **REIJI LP: 3000** → **2000**

He then placed two cards in his duel disk, "I activate two Continuous Magic: Contract with the Hellgate! With these, I add two copies of D/D/D Great Death King Armageddon to my hand!" Reiji showed two cards to Yuya before adding them to his hand.

Reiji then grabbed two cards and held them up, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 D/D Magical Savant Galilei and Scale 10 D/D Magical Savant Kepler!" He placed both cards in their Pendulum Zones with the word "PENDULUM" appearing on his duel disk.

Yuya was shocked by what he just heard, "What?!" Did he just say Pendulum Scale? He then saw two monsters appearing on Reiji's field that were in blue columns of light with the numbers 1 and 10 in front of them respectively.

Reiji looked at Yuya, "With this, I can now simultaneously summon multiple monsters from Level 2 to 9!"

Gongenzaka's eyes were widened in shock, "Those are Pendulum Monsters!" He couldn't believe that someone other Yuya had Pendulum Cards.

Yuzu then had a troubled expression on her face, "No way…"

Sora, who was shocked as well, looked at Reiji, "It can't be…!" Ruri, Rin, and the kids were shocked at seeing Reiji having Pendulum Cards. Mikleo, while not as shocked as the others, still looked surprised as his eyes widened at what he was seeing.

Reiji held out his hand, "Grand power which shakes my very soul! Arise within me and give birth to a new light that rends the darkness! Pendulum Summon!" A portal appeared between his monsters; although the only difference was that there was no giant pendulum swinging like Yuya's.

Reiji held up four cards in his hand, "Come before me, my monsters!" Four monsters came out of the portal, "From the Extra Deck, D/D/D Rebel King Leonidas ( **ATK: 2600** )! And from my hand, the three transcendental deities that rule over all kings, D/D/D Great Death King Hell Armageddon ( **ATK: 3000** , DEF: 1000, LV: 8, PS: 4)!" Leonidas reappeared on the field along with three copies of the same monster, which resembled a fiendish monster that was a giant crystal surrounded by armor along with a face in the middle of the armor.

Everyone stared in shock and disbelief by what they just witnessed. Sora then spoke, "Three monsters with 3000 ATK!"

Yuya was almost in utter disbelief, "...How? How does Reiji have…?" He was wondering and seriously confused as to how Reiji got Pendulum Cards because, as far as he knows, he's the only one that should have them right now. Except, Reiji somehow got a hold of some of them.

He didn't have time to think as Reiji pointed at his Odd-Eyes, "Battle! Hell Armageddon attacks Odd-Eyes Magician!" Hell Armageddon moved forward towards Odd-Eyes Magician and then was charging some power in its core.

Yuzu looked worried as she decided to bang the glass, "Yuya!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes and then pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Last Minute Cancel! When my opponent's monster attacks, I can switch all of my monsters into defense position!" All of Yuya's monsters then switched to defense position.

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 3000** → **DEF:** **2000** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 3200** → **DEF:** **2000** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2800** → **DEF:** **1500** )  
 **Entermate Skullcrobat Joker** ( **ATK: 2300** → **DEF: 100** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon** ( **ATK: 2800** → **DEF:** **2000** )

Hell Armageddon then launched a dark blast towards Odd-Eyes Magician and destroyed it. Since it was in defense position, Yuya didn't take any damage.

Reiji adjusted his glasses again, "Clever. Then I'll have the second Hell Armageddon attack Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon! The third attacks Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! And Rebel King Leonidas attacks Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon!" As soon as he said all of that, the rest of Reiji's monsters unleashed their respective attacks towards Yuya's monsters, destroyed all of them except for Skullcrobat Joker.

Reiji placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

Himika was applauding with a smile on her face, "That was splendid Reiji. If you have mastered Pendulum Summoning to his extent, then this measly YSDS…" She then smirked, " _If we don't need them, we might as well crush them. Then, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Ritual and Pendulum will all belong to LDS."_

Shuzo sat down with a troubled expression on his face, "To think he would use Pendulum Summoning...just how much power does Reiji Akaba possess?"

Yuya narrowed his eyes at Reiji, "Reiji, where did you get Pendulum Cards?" Reiji stared at Yuya, not saying anything in response.

Mikleo, who got over his surprise around a minute ago, looked at Yuya, "...I imagine it might be because he made those cards."

Yuya looked at Mikleo confused, "What?" Reiji turned to look Mikleo while narrowing his eyes a little. Everyone then turned to look at Mikleo, confused by what he was talking about.

Mikleo looked at Reiji, "Despite being famously known as a duel school worldwide, Leo Corporation also has the technology and power to create cards."

Rin looked surprised, "Create cards? They can do that?" Sure, she knew that cards had to have been created by someone although she wouldn't guess it would be something like LDS. It almost reminded her something the Tops would do mainly because of power.

Mikleo nodded, "Yes and from what I can gather, I imagine he made those cards…" He then looked at Himika, "With the data from Yuya's duels with Strong Ishijima and Sawatari when he tried to steal his cards." Reiji looked a little surprised that Mikleo figured it out so quickly.

Yuya looked surprised and then turned to look at Reiji, " _So...he really was behind it."_ He didn't want to believe since he made that assumption before with everything that's happened and he couldn't believe the Reiji he met before would do something like that. If it is true, why would he do it?

Himika narrowed his eyes, "I told you before there is no records of Sawatari doing something like that!"

Mikleo, having expected that response, narrowed his eyes, "Oh really?"

To everyone's confusion, Mikleo took out his custom duel disk and proceeded to press some buttons on it. When he was done, everyone could hear a voice from the duel disk, " _Super rare and awesome guys like me just have to use super rare and awesome cards. It's only natural. The cards must seriously love me man."_

Yuzu's eyes widened as she recognized the voice, "That's Sawatari!"

However, everyone then heard a familiar second voice, " _Set your Pendulum Cards."_

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, "That's...Reiji!"

" _Huh? Say what?"_

" _Set them. I use the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician…"_

" _I-I use the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician…"_

" _And the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician…"_

" _And the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician…"_

" _To set the Pendulum Scale!"_

Mikleo then pressed a button to end the recording and then looked at Himika and Reiji, "And I think that settles that." Himika gritted her teeth as this boy was more annoying than before.

Reiji narrowed his eyes, " _Did he hack into Leo Corporation somehow and found that recording? If that's the case, there's more to Mikleo than meets the eye. I'll have to investigate him as well."_

Yuya then looked at Reiji, "So you really were the one who ordered Sawatari to take my Pendulum Cards." Reiji, once again, didn't say anything in response.

Yuya narrowed his eyes in confusion, "Why? Why do all of this Reiji? For what reason could you possibly have to order someone take my cards? Especially since I wouldn't think you need them since you're already a genius at dueling." Reiji closed his eyes in response.

Yuya frowned a little, "What happened to you Reiji? You're not the same person I met six years ago. The Reiji I knew wouldn't do cold tactics like this."

Reiji, having heard enough, opened his eyes and gave Yuya a serious look, "...Times have changed Yuya. I'm no longer the same naive boy you met before. I had to become a _king_ in order to get ahead in life. I have my reasons."

Yuya frowned a little more, a little sad to see the person he met changed so differently, "Reiji…"

Reiji adjusted his glasses, "Although, if you really want to know the reason I'm doing this…" He then held out a hand towards Yuya, "Then defeat me in this duel and I'll answer all of your questions."

Yuya narrowed his eyes, silently accepting the challenge, and then placed his fingers on his Deck, "My turn, draw!" He saw the card he drew and his eyes widened in surprise, " _Mystic?"_ He held up the card in front of him, " _Maybe this is the time to finally bring you out but I still need another card though."_ He then put the monster back into his hand, " _I'll save you for later."_

"I activate the Magic Card: Pendulum Halt and since I have three or more Pendulum Monsters face-up in my Extra Deck, I can draw two cards!" Yuya drew two cards from his hand.

Yuya held up his hand, "With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Three monsters appeared from the portal, "Revive from the Extra Deck! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** ), Odd-Eyes Magician ( **ATK: 2300** ) and Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2700** )!" All three of Yuya's monsters were brought back to the field. Since Odd-Eyes Magician was on the field, he activated his own effect.

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 2500** → **3000** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 2700** → **3200** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2300** → **2800** )  
 **Entermate Skullcrobat Joker** (ATK: 1800→2300)

Yuya pointed at his ace monster, "I now activate Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's monster effect! When this monster is Special Summoned face-up from the Extra Deck, all of my opponent's monsters lose ATK equal to the difference between my current Pendulum Scales x 100 until the End Phase! Stargazer is 1, Timegazer is 8 so your monsters lose 700 ATK! Scale Force!" Both magicians transferred their power to Odd-Eyes and he unleashed their power from his jeweled chest, hitting all of Reiji's monsters.

 **D/D/D Great Death King Hell Armageddon** ( **#1** ) ( **ATK: 3000** → **2300** )  
 **D/D/D Great Death King Hell Armageddon** ( **#2** ) ( **ATK: 3000** → **2300** )  
 **D/D/D Great Death King Hell Armageddon** ( **#3** ) ( **ATK: 3000** → **2300** )  
 **D/D/D Rebel King Leonidas** ( **ATK: 2600→1900** )

Gongenzaka raised his fist in excitement, "Alright! Now Yuya has a chance to counterattack!"

Yuya pointed at Odd-Eyes, "Battle! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack Hell Armageddon! Spiral Strike Burst!" Odd-Eyes unleashed his fiery blast towards one of the Hell Armageddons and destroyed it. Because of Odd-Eyes' effect, Reiji was then dealt with double damage.

 **REIJI LP: 2000** → **600**

Tatsuya looked excited, "Reiji Akaba only has 600 LP left!" Ayu smiled, "All Big Bro Yuya has to do is attack again with his other monsters!"

However, before Yuya could continue, Reiji spoke, "I activate D/D/D Great Death King Hell Armageddon's monster effect. Once per turn, when a monster I control is destroyed, this card gains ATK equal to that monster's original ATK until the End Phase."

 **D/D/D Great Death King Hell Armageddon** ( **#1** ) ( **ATK: 2300** → **5300** )  
 **D/D/D Great Death King Hell Armageddon** ( **#2** ) ( **ATK: 2300** → **5300** )

Yuya narrowed his eyes, " _Now I can't attack Hell Armageddon but still…_ " He then pointed at Odd-Eyes Arc, "Then I'll attack Rebel King Leonidas with Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon!" Odd-Eyes Arc unleashed his clear blast towards Leonidas.

Reiji pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Continuous Trap: Contract with Heavenly Blessing. In exchange for taking 1000 damage during my Standby Phase, one monster I control cannot be destroyed and I take no damage from battle involving it." A barrier was then formed around Leonidas, protecting both it and Reiji from the blast.

Yuya grabbed a card in his hand, "In that case, I'll activate the Magic Card: Monster Reincarnation which lets me add a monster from my Graveyard to my hand by discarding a card." Yuya sent a Trap Card to the Graveyard and added Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon back to his hand.

Yuya placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." Since it was the end of Yuya's turn, the effects of Odd-Eyes and Hell Armageddon end as well.

 **D/D/D Great Death King Hell Armageddon** ( **#1** ) ( **ATK: 2300** → **3000** )  
 **D/D/D Great Death King Hell Armageddon** ( **#2** ) ( **ATK: 2300** → **3000** )  
 **D/D/D Rebel King Leonidas** ( **ATK: 1900→2600** )

Reiji drew a card, "My turn, draw." Reiji then pointed at Leonidas, "Due to Leonidas' effect, I don't take any effect damage from my "Contract" cards."

After Reiji said that, something began to happen to Reiji's Magical Savant as they producing electricity that destroyed the rest of Reiji's Hell Armageddons.

 **D/D Magical Savant Galilei** ( **PS: 1** → **3** )  
 **D/D Magical Savant Kepler** ( **PS: 10** → **8** )

The kids were shocked by what just saw with Ayu speaking, "The monsters are-!" Futoshi finished her sentence, "-gone!"

Yuya was confused, "What happened?" Why did Reiji's Armageddons disappear? Was it an effect or something?

Reiji fixed his glasses, "Due to D/D Magical Savant Galilei and Kepler's Pendulum Effects, during each of my Standby Phases, Galilei's Pendulum Scale increases by 2 and Kepler's decreases by 2." Reiji explained part of the effect that made his monsters get destroyed. However, his monsters getting destroyed wasn't part of his plan. They both do destroy monsters that have an equal Level, less than Galilei's or greater than Kepler's Pendulum Scales but they only destroy non-D/D monsters. He suspects it may be a bug in these prototype Pendulum Cards. Reiji then looked down at his cards, " _While they're still prototypes, a_ _t least this confirms that they function in a decently manner."_ He'll just have to make due with it and figure out the problem later.

Ruri was now more optimistic, "At least Yuya won't have to deal with those monsters again right now."

Sora narrowed his eyes, "But I get the feeling this won't faze Reiji one bit."

Reiji pointed at his cards, "Due to the effects of my two Contract with the Hellgates, I can add a "D/D" monster from my Deck to my hand. I add D/D Proud Ogre and D/D Manticore to my hand." He showed the cards he added to Yuya before putting them back in his hand.

Reiji held up his hand, "With the set Pendulum Summon, I Pendulum Summon!" Two monsters appeared from the portal, "Reborn from the Extra Deck, D/D Cerberus ( **ATK: 1800** )! And from my hand, D/D Proud Ogre ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1500, LV: 6, PS: 8)!" Cerberus was brought back to Reiji's field along with a fiendish monster that resembled an ogre wearing grayish black and red armor who also wielding an axe in its right hand.

Reiji placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Demon Network. With this card, I can target two "D/D" monsters I control and a Pendulum Monster face-up in my Extra Deck. I choose D/D Cerberus and D/D Proud Ogre on my field along Hell Armageddon in my Extra Deck. Cerberus and Proud Ogre's Levels are now equal to Hell Armageddon's."

 **DD Cerberus** ( **LV: 4** → **8** )  
 **DD Proud Ogre** ( **LV: 6** → **8** )

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, "Two Level 8 monsters…" Right then, Yuya knew what Reiji was about to do.

Reiji held out his hand, "I overlay my Level 8 D/D Cerberus and D/D Proud Ogre!" Both monsters turned into purple energy that went into a dark portal.

"When two suns rise, the horizon of a new world shall open up! Xyz Summon! Appear and come forth, Rank 8! D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali Yuga ( **ATK: 3500** , DEF: 3000, RNK: 8, OVU: 2)!" Reiji summoned a fiendish monster that was in dark red and yellow armor while wearing a green robe underneath it and it was sitting on an ancient stone throne while floating.

Yuzu looked a little overwhelmed, "A Rank 8 Xyz Monster…"

Rin agreed as well, "And it has 3500 ATK…"

Reiji looked at Yuya, "When Kali Yuga is Xyz Summoned, all other cards on the field cannot have their effects activated and other cards' effects are also negated for the rest of this turn."

Yuya was surprised, "What?" That mean that he can't use his face down to save himself. Odd-Eyes Magician's effect was negated because of Kali Yuga.

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 3000** → **2500** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 3200** → **2700** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2800** → **2300** )  
 **Entermate Skullcrobat Joker** (ATK: 2300→1800)

Ruri now looked more worried for Yuya, "Now Yuya can't protect himself!"

Rin raised her fist while trying to stay calm, "Don't give in, Yuya!"

Reiji looked at Yuya seriously, "Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with Duo-Dawn King Kali Yuga! Twin Break Shot!" Kali Yuga then launched twin spheres of dark energy towards Odd-Eyes and destroyed it. The blast made Yuya land on his back.

 **YUYA LP: 1500** → **500**

Yuzu cried out in worry, "Yuya!"

Gongenzaka now looked more concerned for his friend, "He only has 500 LP left…!"

Reiji wasn't done, "I now attack Odd-Eyes Magician with Rebel King Leonidas!" Leonidas charged forward and slashed through Odd-Eyes Magician, destroying it.

 **YUYA LP: 500** → **200**

Mikleo, while a little concerned for his brother, didn't show it as he just narrowed his eyes at the duel.

As Yuya got back up, Reiji looked at him, "Just in case, I'll make you run out of options during your next turn. I activate Kali Yuga's monster effect. By using an Overlay Unit, all Magic and Trap Cards are destroyed." One of Kali Yuga's Overlay Units were absorbing before Yuga unleashed a shockwave that destroyed all of both Yuya and Reiji's Magic and Trap Cards including the Pendulum Monsters in the Pendulum Zones.

 **D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali Yuga** ( **OVU: 2** → **1** )

Tatsuya looked more worried than ever, "Now Big Bro Yuya can't Pendulum Summon next turn!"

Reiji pointed at Kali Yuga, "I activate Kali Yuga's other effect which lets me set a "Contract" card from my Graveyard to my field face down." Kali Yuga's other Overlay Unit was absorbed as Reiji set Heavenly Blessing back to his field.

 **D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali Yuga** ( **OVU: 1** → **0** )

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little, " _That card has to be Heavenly Blessing."_ He figured it was something Reiji needed in case he found a way to try and destroy Leonidas on his next turn.

Reiji looked at Yuya, "I end my turn."

Sora looked at Yuya, "With only 200 LP and no Pendulum Monsters, Yuya will lose won't he?"

Mikleo was still looking at Yuya, "...Maybe. Although it depends on what Yuya draws on his next turn."

Yuya was looking at the situation he was in and sighed, " _This is it. Unless I can make a big move on my next turn, I'll lose this duel."_ He looked at his current hand and then his Deck, " _I'll just have to believe in my Deck and, in hope, it believes in me."_

He placed his fingers on his Deck, "My turn, draw!" He drew with a lot of force since he had a lot of determination with that draw.

He turned the card around to see what it was: a certain Magic card. Yuya then smiled happily, "Perfect!" Reiji narrowed his eyes, wondering what exactly Yuya drew that made him this happy.

Yuya then had a look of resolve on his face as he placed the card he drew into his duel disk, "I'm activating the Ritual Magic: Holy Glow Ritual!"

Reiji was surprised, "Ritual?" To his knowledge and data, Yuya didn't have a Ritual Monster but this contradicts it.

The others were shocked by what Yuya just announced with Yuzu saying, "Wait...did that mean…?" Mikleo then smiled at what Yuya just did.

A dark blue temple appeared behind Yuya along with metal torches near the gateway. Yuya looked at Reiji while holding up a card in his hand, "I tribute Entermate Skullcrobat Joker and Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon that's in my hand." Joker and Saber Dragon both turned into blue flames which lit up the torches as the gateway opened.

"Blue dragon that live in the skies! Come down to this earth to shine your holy judgement upon our foes! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 8! Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon ( **ATK: 2800** , DEF: 2000, LV: 8)!" Yuya summoned a blue dragon that had silver armor on his chest and arms, a small crystal in his chest, had a yellow horn on his head, white eyes with pupils, and blue wings in which the insides of them were glowing brightly around the area.

Reiji looked at the monster Yuya summoned, "Ritual Dragon?"

The others were shocked by Yuya performing Ritual Summoning and also the dragon Yuya summoned to the field. Yuzu looked at the dragon with astonishment, "What is that dragon?" For some reason, she thought it was a little similar to Yuya's Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

Tatsuya was smiling excitedly, "Big Bro Yuya can also Ritual Summon!" Ayu looked a little confused, "But...it only has 2800 ATK."

Mystic Glow turned around to look at Yuya, " _...It's good to fight be able to fight for you again Yuya."_

Yuya nodded as he raised his fist, "You said it. Now let's go Mystic!"

Mystic Glow roared in response, " _As you wish!"_

Yuya looked at Reiji with determination, "This duel is over Reiji!" He then pointed at Mystic, "I activate Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon's monster effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard in defense position! Holy Resurrection!" Mystic then shined his wings so brightly and brought back Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon in defense position.

"And then Mystic gains ATK equal to the ATK of the monster summoned until the End Phase!" Saber Dragon transferred its power towards Mystic who roared, " _It feels so good to battle again!"_

 **Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon** ( **ATK: 2800** → **5600** )

Yuzu looked happy with what she was seeing, "Mystic is now stronger than both of Reiji's monsters!"

Gongenzaka raised his fist, "There's still a chance! Go for it, Yuya!"

Yuya smiled while pointing at Mystic, "Battle! Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon attack Duo-Dawn King Kali Yuga! Imperial Light Sacred Cleansing!" Mystic flew up into the air before flying down towards Kali Yuga with blue energy around himself.

Reiji, who got over his surprised, was prepared to activate his card, "I activate the Trap…!"

Yuya interrupted, "Sorry but you can't! When Mystic attacks, you're not allowed to activate any Magic or Traps until the end of the Damage Step!" As Yuya said that, Mystic was charging faster towards Kali Yuga.

Reiji was shocked, "What!?" Now he can't protect himself so he wonders what to do. He looked down at his hand and saw one card in his hand that could help. He gritted his teeth, " _I have no choice."_

Mystic then pierced through Kali Yuga with his horn and destroyed it which created a huge explosion around the field.

However, before he could take the damage, Reiji revealed a card in his hand, "I activate the effect of D/D Manticore in my hand! By discarding this card, you now take the same damage I take!" He sent his monster to the Graveyard and made the explosion flow towards Yuya as well.

Yuya was surprised, "What?" Seeing as there was nothing he could do to stop it, he got caught in the blast which made him fly backwards and land on his back. Reiji then took the blast as well which made him fly backwards and land on his back. Both duelist grunted a little from the damage they took.

 **REIJI LP: 600** → **0  
** **YUYA LP: 200** → **0**

 **YUYA & REIJI: DRAW**

Everyone was in shock by what just happened: the duel ended in a draw. The You Show residents cried out worrily, "Yuya!" They then ran towards the inside of the duel arena and gathered around him to see if he's okay.

Meanwhile, Himika was in shock, "Impossible...Yuya Sakaki tied with Reiji?" Before Himika could think any further about it, Nakajima came over and whispered something in her ear, to her confusion.

Yuzu kneeled down at Yuya, "Yuya, are you okay?"

Yuya grunted a little before smiling, "I'm fine. Just a few bruises."

Ruri smiled a little from Yuya's optimism, "Come on, let's help you up." Both Ruri and Rin got Yuya on their shoulder in order to help him stand up.

Sora was eating some candy while looking at Yuya, "Gotta admit, that was fun duel to watch. To bad it ended in a draw."

Yuya grunted, "Yeah." He then was able to stand up fully with the help of Ruri and Rin as he balanced himself.

Soon after, Reiji got up while grunting a little as well while dusting some dirt of his shirt. He then looked at Yuya with him looking back, both seeming wanting to finish this.

However, they heard Himika's voice, "What did you say!?" They then turned to see what was the commotion.

They saw that Nakajima was whispering something into Himika's ear who was looking a little concerned. Apparently Masumi heard something from the conversation and shouted, "Professor Marco was-!?" Yaiba and Hokuto looked shocked to hear it as well.

Himika turned towards Reiji with a troubled expression on her face, "Reiji!"

Reiji narrowed his eyes as something must have happened. He then saw an image of Nakajima appear on his duel disk, "What happened, Nakajima?"

Yuya saw how they were talking with each other but couldn't quite hear what they said. He then saw Reiji nodding before turning off his duel disk and, to everyone else's confusion, began hastily walking away from the arena.

Yuya saw how Reiji was leaving and was surprised as he held out a hand to him, "Wait Reiji!"

He then stopped to look at Yuya for a second, "We'll settle this another time Yuya." He then walked away and exited the arena; he then went with his mother and the others outside of You Show.

Yuya frowned a little, "Reiji…" He was a little disappointed he couldn't figure out what happened to him before. At least, You Show is safe for now.

* * *

 **I want to thank Frost190 and her partner for allowing me to use some of her OC cards so shout out to you two. Thank you so much!**

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Fruit Magician (** _ **Credit goes to Frost190 and her partner**_ **)  
** (LV: 7, Spellcaster, WATER, ATK: 1800, DEF: 2000, PS: 6)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, when a Pendulum Monster(s) you control is destroyed: You can Special Summon a "Magician" Pendulum Monster from your Deck.  
 _Monster Effect:_ When you control an "Entermate" monster: You can Special Summon this card from your hand and then draw 1 card. Once per turn, when you are targeted for a direct attack and this card is in your Graveyard: You can Special Summon this card in Defense Position.

 **Entermate Conductor Gecko  
** (LV: 5, Reptile, LIGHT, Fusion, ATK: 2000, DEF: 1600)  
( _2 "Entermate" Monsters_ )  
 _Monster Effect_ : All monsters you control gain 400 ATK. When a monster you control destroys an opponent's monster by battle, inflict 200 points of damage to your opponent. When this card is destroyed, you can add 1 "Odd-Eyes" or "Entermate" monster from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand.

 **Entermate Odd-Eyes Sylph  
** (LV: 2, Fairy, LIGHT, Tuner, ATK: 700, DEF: 800, PS: 5)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or below "Entermate" monster from your Graveyard.  
 _Monster Effect_ : Once per turn, you can target 1 monster you control: Increase or decrease its Level by 1.

 **Entermate Odd-Eyes Plasma Blader  
** (LV: 6, Warrior, LIGHT, Synchro, ATK: 2600, DEF: 1800)  
( _1 "Odd-Eyes" Tuner + 1 or more "Entermate" non-Tuner Monsters_ )  
 _Monster Effect_ : If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing damage to your opponent. When this card destroys a monster by battle: Add 1 "Odd-Eyes" monster from your Deck to your hand. If an "Entermate" monster you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, while this card is in your Graveyard: You can shuffle this card into the Extra Deck; Add 1 "Entermate" monster from your Deck to your hand.

 **Spacetime Magician  
** (RNK: 7, Spellcaster, DARK, Xyz, ATK: 2800, DEF: 2000)  
( _2 Level 7 "Magician" Pendulum Monsters_ )  
 _Monster Effect_ : Must first be Xyz Summoned with the above Xyz Materials. The first time each Pendulum Monster in your Monster Zone or Pendulum Zone would be destroyed, it is not destroyed. Once per turn, you detach 1 Xyz Material from this card: Add 1 DARK Monster from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand. Once per turn, during either players' turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; target 1 monster on the field and switch its battle position. When this card is destroyed: You can add 1 "Magician" monster from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand.

 **Contract with the Ritual Djinns** (Continuous Magic) - During your Main Phase: You can Ritual Summon any 1 Fiend-type Ritual Monster from your hand or Deck, by tributing monsters from your hand or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. You can only use this effect of "Contract with the Ritual Djinns" once per turn. If Summoning a "D/D" Ritual Monster this way, you can also banish monsters from your Graveyard. Once per turn, during your Standby Phase: Take 1000 damage.

 **D/D/D Radiant King Cyrus  
** (LV: 8, Fiend, LIGHT, Ritual, ATK: 2900, DEF: 2200)  
 _Monster Effect:_ Once per turn, when a "D/D" monster is Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or below "D/D" monster from your Deck. Once per turn: You can return 1 Magic or Trap Card you control to your hand; then all "D/D" monsters you control gain 600 ATK until the End Phase. When this card is destroyed: You can add 1 "D/D" Pendulum Monster from your Deck to your hand.

 **Contract with Heavenly Blessing** (Continuous Trap) - Target 1 "D/D" Monster you control; As long as this card is on the field: That monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects also you take no battle damage from battles involving that monster. Once per turn, during your Standby Phase: Take 1000 damage.

 **Demon Network** (Magic Card) - Target 2 "D/D" monsters you control and 1 "D/D" Pendulum Monster that's face-up in your Extra Deck; the targeted monsters you control now have a Level equal to the targeted Pendulum Monster's Level.

 **Holy Glow Ritual** (Ritual Magic Card) - This card can be used to Ritual Summon "Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard. You must also tribute monsters from your hand and/or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon.

 **Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon  
** (LV: 8, Dragon, LIGHT, Ritual, ATK: 2800, DEF: 2000)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card attacks: Your opponent cannot activate Magic or Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. Once per turn, you can target 1 Monster in your Graveyard: Special Summon it in Defense Position with its effects negated, then this card gains ATK equal to that monster's original ATK until the End Phase. When this card is destroyed: You can add 1 Magic or Trap Card from your Graveyard to your hand.

 **D/D Manticore  
** (LV: 3, Fiend, DARK, ATK: 1200, DEF: 700, PS: 6)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, you can target 1 "D/D" monster you control; change its level from 1 to 8 until the End Phase.  
 _Monster Effect_ : When you take battle or effect damage, you can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard; your opponent takes the same amount of damage you take as well.

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime, and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **So...surprise! Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon! That was the "Mystic" dragon I was talking about in Chapter 5. I'll bet some of you didn't see that coming. Regardless, I hope you like the little backstory I gave for both Yuya and Reiji. If there's any questions about this, I might answer them in the next chapter or not so we'll see happens. I also hope you all like both the dragon and Reiji's Ritual Monster cause I actually always wanted to give Ritual Summoning some more love especially considering it wasn't acknowledged much in Arc-V other than Mieru and Asuka/Alexis. Expect some more Ritual Summoning in the future.**

 **By the way, I want to be clear on this: Yes, I am aware that the Savants have different effects when destroying monsters regarding their Pendulum Scales (Such as they don't destroy DD monsters). However, they are mostly prototypes with test effects and not quite the real thing yet. As you already know, Reiji will eventually have fully functional Pendulum Cards so it is mostly a situation where he will get the fixed cards with changed effects later on.**

 **Next chapter, get ready for the debut of Mikleo's deck. This is going to be good. :)**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Duel Training, the Chrono Emperor -** After Yuya's duel with Reiji, Yuya challenges Mikleo to a duel in order to show how strong the both of them really are to his friends at You Show and also to tell them more about their past. Yuya, however similar to Reiji, has a rough time keeping up with Mikleo, who was once known as the Chrono Emperor in the Pro Circuit before he walked away from it.

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	10. Duel Training, the Chrono Emperor

**Thank you to everyone who sent messages and reviewed the last chapter; here's some of my responses:**

 **ThePLOThand - Look, you have your own opinions on how you read things I can respect that. I'm not going to criticize you for it. Maybe you think it's lazy writing or nonsensical; fine, I don't care. To me, it already is nonsensical regarding the anime with the Action Cards and effects that were used. And, sometimes, it doesn't make sense to me that some cards have their TCG effects the same as their anime counterparts, others that are at least similar, and some that are completely different. Regardless, I'm not going to put up a list what effect changes I gave. If you want to know, either read the story or go look up what the anime/TCG effects of the cards are. I'm sorry about this but I'm just not willing to do it especially since I have to go back to list all of them. Although, I will say this: I do like your choice in music whenever you read my chapters especially the Ace Attorney series (good series by the way).**

 **Mekyaku - To answer one of your questions, yes, I did use the TCG effects of Kali Yuga. I'll say this one more time: depending on the effects, I will either choose which is best, maybe combine the both of them, or it will depend on which is better for duel situation. Otherwise, thanks.**

 **LegionnaireBlaze - I sent a message regarding your request. Otherwise, thanks for liking my story.**

 **Drago - Hmm, maybe. We'll see what happens.**

 **Knightdragon - Well, we'll see what happens with Yuya and Yuto. :) Otherwise, thanks for the comment.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10 - Duel Training, the Chrono Emperor**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Yuya watched as Reiji left the duel arena and then left with the other LDS members out of You Show. He was still frowning a little as he couldn't win the duel nor figure out what happened to Reiji. He then sighed a little, knowing the bright side being that You Show is now safe since Himika didn't say anything about another rematch.

The others didn't know what to say as they were amazed that Yuya made the duel a tie with a professional such as Reiji. However, they were also both curious and concerned for Yuya for how he was feeling right now.

Yuzu walked over to Yuya to face him, "Yuya, are you okay?" She was a little concerned about how her friend was feeling since he couldn't help out Reiji before.

Yuya raised his head with a small smile on his face, "Yeah. I'm fine."

Sora, who was eating a lollipop, stood with an amazed expression on his face, "To think you both could use Fusion, Ritual, Synchro, Xyz, and even Pendulum...you both must be incredible duelists." However, he was narrowing his eyes a little at Yuya while he was saying this.

Yuya winced a little, knowing Sora might still be upset about what he learned from their duel, and then sheepishly smiled, "...Yeah. I guess so."

Shuzo then walked into the arena while rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile, "Well, it seems we're okay for the moment."

Ruri looked at Shuzo, a little concerned, "Are you sure about that?" She was both concerned for Yuya and if maybe LDS was going to come back in the future since the final duel ended in a draw.

Shuzo looked at her and the others, "Well yeah, the people from LDS left. And thanks to everyone's hard work, our duel school is safe for the moment right?"

Sora placed his arms behind his head, "You said "everyone's hard work" but don't you just mean Yuya's since he was the only one who actually won one of the three original duels?"

Yuzu looked away with a look of guilt on her face while Gongenzaka gritted his teeth and closed his eyes since his duel ended in a draw.

The kids were glaring at him and were about to say something until Rin had a look of irritation on her face and hit Sora on the head. Sora whelped a little in pain as he rubbed the spot he was hit.

Rin glared at Sora, "Sora, you don't get to complain since you decided to back out on the final duel for You Show!" She was upset that Sora wasn't showing some compassion for Yuzu and Gongenzaka even if what he said was true.

Ruri walked over to Rin, trying to calm her down, "Now Rin, let's all try to calm down please." While she did think Sora somewhat deserved it, she thinks it was a little harsh for Rin to hit Sora for telling the truth, even if she still doesn't trust Sora completely.

After Rin calmed down a little, Ruri turned to Sora, "Now Sora, despite what you said, don't you think you should apologize?"

Sora, while still rubbing his head, narrowed his eyes a little with a apologetic look on his face, "Ow. Alright, alright I'm sorry. Really, I am."

Ruri smiled a little, "Good."

Sora looked away a little while whispering, " _Geez. That girl hits really hard!"_

The kids were giggling a little from how Sora was getting scolded by both Rin and Ruri. Tatsuya then turned to look at Yuya, "Big Bro Yuya, if LDS comes back, I'll fight next time!" Ayu and Futoshi nodded their heads and said the same thing. Tatsuya then smiled at Yuya, "So please train us too, with your Pendulum Summoning Big Bro Yuya!"

Yuya smiled a little from Tatsuya, "Thanks, Tatsuya. Although Pendulum Summoning is no longer mine now." He was surprised that Reiji made to create Pendulum Cards and was a little upset that he no longer had this unique summoning method by himself. But he wasn't bothered by it much since it was only a matter of time before someone created Pendulum Cards for others to use.

Tatsuya shook his head, "That doesn't matter! We still think you can teach us so much especially since you know all of the other summoning methods!" Ayu and Futoshi nodded in agreement as well.

Shuzo, hearing what Tatsuya just said, looked at Yuya confused, "Speaking of which, Yuya, how long have you known about these other methods?" He was confused and curious as to when exactly he learned about all of them. Hearing Shuzo's question made the others turn to face Yuya with curious expressions.

Yuya, who knew this question was coming, rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Well...it's kind of a long story."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION**

In the control room of LDS, all staff and personal stood up to face Reiji, Himika and Nakajima as they entered the room from the elevator. One of the staff said, "Thank you for all of your hard work, Mr. President."

Reiji nodded his head before he walked forward, "Please explain the details of the attack on Marco to me."

The man in charge nodded his head before turning towards the screen, "It occurred at the Maiami NLD-038 area around 5:54 PM and we detected a really strong summoning reaction."

Himika looked at him, "Which summoned method was it?"

The man in charge looked at her, "It was Xyz Summoning." Hearing that, Himika turned to Reiji, "And Yuya Sakaki was with us when it happened this time."

Reiji nodded his head, "Yes, even though he can use Xyz Summoning, he isn't the type of person who would ambush someone, which makes it pretty obvious that Yuya Sakaki isn't the culprit behind these attacks." Even though he already knew this from the moment he met Yuya again, he had to be sure just in case.

Reiji then turned his eyes toward Nakajima, "Nakajima, any news about what happened to Marco?"

Nakajima moved his finger over a holographic screen as he answered, "I'm working on it, but so far we don't have any clear clues about what happened to him, however…" Nakajima turned his head towards where the man in charge stood, "The Section Chief brought something over to us." Reiji nodded his head and turned towards the man in charge.

"Indeed, he found this at the scene of the crime." Another man came over with a big suitcase and opened it, revealing cards that were Fusion Recovery, a Fusion Monster, and Instant Fusion as well as a damaged duel disk inside of it.

The man who brought them over looked at Reiji, "They found these rather quickly and even though they were severely damaged, there is no doubt that they belong to Marco."

Reiji looked towards the screen, "I authorize to use all of LDS' resources to discover Marco's location, but for now, no one is allowed to know he is missing." Nakajima nodded his head in response.

* * *

Meanwhile, Masumi was walking back and forth, feeling frustrated while Hokuto and Yaiba were next to her, "What is going on? If he is okay, why can't we see him?" Normally, she tries to be calm under every situation but if it involves someone she cares about, she can't control her emotions very well.

Hokuto held up his hand, "Maybe he got bandages all over him like Sawatari and don't want you to see him in a lowly state."

Masumi glared at Hokuto, "Don't compare Professor Marco to that moron Sawatari!" Hokuto stepped back a bit in nervousness.

Yaiba narrowed his eyes a little, "Still something is strange, these people are getting hurt even though they are not in an action duel." Yaiba thought the whole thing seemed suspicious and wondered what was going on.

Masumi narrowed her eyes and then began to walk away, "Hey Masumi! Where are you going?" Yaiba shouted after her.

Masumi looked over her shoulder at Yaiba and Hokuto, "I'm going to find what's going on here!"

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

The others were looking at Yuya, who took out his deck to look at it. He was staring at it for a few seconds before turning to Mikleo. He had a determined expression on his face, "Mikleo, I challenge you to a duel!"

The others were surprised and confused, "Huh?"

Mikleo raised an eyebrow in amusement, "You want to duel me? Are you sure?"

Yuya nodded, "I'm sure." He then turned towards the others, "In order for us to explain, I think you all also need to know how strong my brother is and we can show you right now." He turned back to Mikleo who didn't say anything while staring at Yuya.

Tatsuya looked curious, "Big Bro Mikleo is going to duel?" He was honestly curious as to what kind of deck he has.

Ayu looked at Yuzu, "Big Sis Yuzu, are you sure you have never seen Big Bro Mikleo duel before?"

Yuzu shook her head, "No, Mikleo wasn't willingly to show us his deck before so I don't know either." She thought maybe the reason being is that Mikleo was a little protective of his deck and didn't want to show it yet.

Yuya looked down at the ground a little, "My brother has taught me a lot when it comes to dueling and I feel guilty for not telling you all before so I feel that we should have a duel in order to show everything Mikleo."

The others turned to Mikleo, wondering what his answer will be. Mikleo had his eyes closed while humming a little before opening them, "Okay. I accept."

Futoshi then looked curious as well, "We're finally going to see Big Bro Mikleo dueling."

Sora looked curious as well, " _Since he's the one who taught Yuya all of those methods, I am curious about his strength as well."_

Mikleo then closed his eyes, "However, as you may remembered, I prefer Normal Duels over Action Duels little brother."

Yuya nodded in response, "Yes, I remember." Even though sometimes they train in Action Duels, Mikleo always preferred Normal Duels since it would better train Yuya and he doesn't ever bother using Action Cards in the first place anyway.

Mikleo then turned towards the others, "However, there's two things you all should know before we get started. One, in all of our training duels, Yuya has never beaten me before…"

Gongenzaka looked at Yuya surprised, "Is that true Yuya?" Yuya nodded his head in semi-embarrassment.

Mikleo continued, "And two, there was a reason I was once known as the Chrono Emperor." Everyone was confused when they heard Mikleo say that.

Rin looked confused, "Chrono Emperor?" She wondered what that is supposed to mean.

Tatsuya then had a thinking expression on his face, "Chrono Emperor? I could swear I've heard that before…" The other kids were curious as to what Tatsuya was referring to.

Shuzo, who looked confused for a second, then looked at Mikleo with a surprised expression on his face, "Wait...you can't mean…!" Is Mikleo saying what he thinks he is saying?

Yuzu turned to her father, "What's wrong, dad?"

Before Shuzo speak, Mikleo walked over to one side of the arena, "I think that's enough for now so let's get started." He then stopped and brought out his duel disk.

Yuya nodded before motion the others to go outside and watch from the sidelines. After a minute or two, Yuya and Mikleo were facing each other from opposite sides, holding their duel disks while the others were watching from the sidelines.

Ruri looked at Shuzo, "Mr. Hiragi, you looked like you knew what Mikleo was talking about." The others turned to Shuzo, curious about what he has to say.

Shuzo didn't say anything as he stared at both Mikleo and Yuya, " _Is what Mikleo saying true? Has Yuya really been trained to that level of skill? If so, why didn't I see it all of this time?"_ He was scolding himself for not seeing this sooner; he then decided to wait and see what happens. The others were both confused and a little irritated that Shuzo was not saying anything in response.

Tatsuya, however, looked more frustrated as he held his head while thinking, "Chrono Emperor...Chrono Emperor...I swear I've heard that before." After a few seconds, he then got an idea as he took out his duel disk and proceeded to press a few buttons, searching for any information. The others looked at Tatsuya curiously, wondering what he was doing.

After a few more presses, he finally found something and his eyes widened in shock, "Ah, here he is!" Everyone else got closer to Tatsuya in order to see what was on the screen.

They all saw an article about an unknown duelist that wore a mask during each of his matches and didn't give out a name. He was a mystery to everyone since no one knew who it was but, as time went on, as he kept winning his matches and getting more popular, people then started referring to him as the Chrono Emperor. However, around a year ago, he vanished from the Pro Circuit with no one knowing what happened to him. It was shown that he has never lost a match during his time in the circuit.

Tatsuya was surprised, "I knew I heard that name before! He's a legendary duelist in the Pro Circuit that ruled the field during each of his matches. He barely gave any of his opponents the chance to counterattack and was referred as an emperor during each of his matches."

Futoshi looked at Mikleo amazed, "Then Big Bro Mikleo really is that person?"

Ayu looked a little confused, "Is that why he was called the Chrono Emperor?"

Tatsuya scrolled through the information to see if there was anymore until he found something, "Well, that may be part of the reason but it was also because of the deck he used in those matches."

Yuzu looked at the screen curiously, "What deck was that?"

Tatsuya narrowed his eyes at it before looking confused, "...Chronogear?"

Ruri was confused as well, "Chronogear? That's the archetype?" She has never heard of that archetype either and it looked like neither one of them knew it either from the confusion on their faces.

Gongenzaka then looked at Mikleo, "Do you think Mikleo might have it then?" He was wondering if Mikleo really was this good especially since it was the first time he's heard the "Chronogear" archetype nor of the Chrono Emperor in the Pro Circuit.

Shuzo, however, seemed a little sceptical of the situation and turned to look at Mikleo, "Let's just wait and see what happens." The others silently agreed to see if Mikleo really does have that deck.

Mikleo, having heard everyone they said, looked at Yuya, "You ready little brother?"

Yuya nodded excitedly, "You know I am." Then both duelists activated their duel disks and started their duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **MIKLEO LP: 4000**

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "I'll go first. Draw!" He looked at the card he drew before grabbing two other ones in his hand, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Entermate Monkeyboard and Scale 8 Entermate Card Gardna!" Yuya placed both cards in their Pendulum Zones and both monsters appeared in their Pendulum Scales.

Monkeyboard was a monster that resembled a monster wearing a blue suit and blue top hat while also riding a unicycle. It also had piano keys as teeth in its mouth. Card Gardna was literally a card with arms and legs and had a happy face on the design of it; it also had a star on the "forehead" of the card design.

"And now I can summon monsters with Levels 2 and 7 at the same time!" Yuya then pointed at Monkeyboard, "But first, I activate Monkeyboard's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, I add a Level 4 or below "Entermate" monster from my Deck to my hand! I add Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer!" Yuya revealed the card he added to his hand momentarily.

The giant pendulum was then swinging, "Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" Three monsters appeared from the portal, "Appear! Entermate Lizardraw (ATK: 1200, **DEF: 600** , LV: 3, PS: 6), Entermate Partnaga (ATK: 500, **DEF: 2100** , LV: 5, PS: 3), and Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 800, LV: 4, PS: 2)!" The first monster that appeared was an orange lizard that wore a top hat and a pinkish-purple suit with question-marked cards on the collar of the suit and was wielding a baton it its right hand. The second monster that appeared was a yellow and red patterned cobra that had a hand on the tip of its tail and was also wearing a polka-dotted bowtie and a top hat. The third monster that appeared was a magician that wear a red and blue-green outfit and had purple hair. He was also carrying an amulet, that had a pendulum inside of it, in his right hand.

Yuya pointed at Pendulum Sorcerer, "I activate Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer's monster effect! When this card is Special Summoned, I can destroy up to 2 cards on my field and then add "Entermate" monster to my hand equal to the amount I destroyed! I destroy Pendulum Sorcerer itself!" Pendulum Sorcerer then destroyed itself almost after it just got onto the field.

Yuya showed the card he added, "I add Entermate La Panda to my hand." He then placed it on his duel disk, "And now I Normal Summon Entermate La Panda (ATK: 800, **DEF: 800** , LV: 3, PS: 3)!" After Sorcerer was destroyed, Yuya then summoned an adorable panda that was holding a tuba around itself and was wearing a pink outfit, a polka-dotted bowtie and a top hat.

Ayu was happy over seeing the panda, "How cute!" Yuzu and Ruri giggled a little as they agreed with Ayu.

Yuya pointed at Card Gardna, "I activate Entermate Card Gardna's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, I target one defense I control that's in defense position and its DEF become the combined original DEF of all defense position monsters I control! I select Entermate La Panda!" Card Gardna brought out smaller cards of itself and threw them at Panda as it got stronger from both Partnaga and Lizardraw.

 **Entermate La Panda** ( **DEF: 800** → **3500** )

Yuya placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

Rin looked at Yuya curiously, "It seems Yuya is being very cautious." From what she saw, Yuya is being more defensive than usually which is a little odd.

Shuzo looked at Mikleo curiously as well, "If Mikleo really is the Chrono Emperor, then I wouldn't blame Yuya."

Sora, however, seemed skeptical of the situation as he was licking his lollipop, "He can't be that good, can he?" As skeptical as he was, he was more curious as Mikleo's dueling skills especially with the kind of person he is at the moment.

Yuzu was watching the both of them, "I think we're about to find out."

Mikleo, who had his eyes closed for a minute, opened them and calmly started, "My turn, draw." He looked at the card he drew and then his entire hand for a few seconds.

He grabbed a card in his hand, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Time Chamber." A machine that resembled a futuristic hollow chamber appeared behind Mikleo.

"With Time Chamber's effect, once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 7 or below "Chronogear" monster from my hand or Deck. I Special Summon Chronogear - Epistem Truth Dragon ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 2200, LV: 6)." The chamber was powering up before a blue dragon with green wings appeared from inside of it and onto the field. Half of the dragon's body was covered in metallic armor while it was also glowing blue-green around itself. It mostly resembled half dragon and half metallic.

The kids were surprised by what Mikleo just said, "Chronogear!" The fact that Mikleo has that type of card proves he really was the Chrono Emperor in the Pro Circuit. The others were both surprised and curious as to how this archetype works.

Mikleo looked at Yuya, "The monster summoned by Time Chamber's effect has its effects negated, it cannot attack and it is banished during the End Phase of my turn." Yuya narrowed his eyes, knowing what Mikleo was really planning to do with that monster.

Mikleo showed another card in his hand, "Next, since I control a "Chronogear" monster, I can Special Summon, the Tuner monster, Chronogear - Volley Rabbit ( **ATK: 800** , DEF: 600, LV: 2)." Mikleo summoned a white rabbit that was standing on two feet and hopping up and down, ready to fight while it wearing metal sneakers, white armor and goggles over its head.

Futoshi was surprised, "A tuner?" Ayu was curious, "Then that means…"

Mikleo looked at Yuya, "I tune my Level 2 Volley Rabbit with my Level 6 Epistem Truth Dragon ( **2 + 6 = 8** )." Volley Rabbit turned into green energy rings that surrounded Truth Dragon.

"Dragon that controls the very force of gravity! Transcend into this dimension in order to correct the errors of nature! Synchro Summon! Appear! Chronogear Arch - Extend Magnet Dragon ( **ATK: 2800** , DEF: 2300, LV: 8)!" Mikleo summoned a dragon that was wearing golden brown armor all over its body with blue and silver underneath it. It had twin tails that had gears on the end of each of them. It wore a helmet that had curved arcs sticking out from the sides and two plates that were holding a gear in place. The dragon had green eyes and the inside of the wings were light green as well. The dragon is now floating in the air, sitting in a criss-cross position.

Mikleo then grabbed a card in his hand, "And then I activate the effect of Chronogear - Polymer Idea-Drone in my hand." He showed the card to Yuya as he continued, "With this card, I can activate this effect in my hand. It allows me to Fusion Summon using both Polymer and other monsters in my hand or field." Yuya narrowed his eyes a little, knowing what Mikleo was about to do.

Mikleo showed another card in his hand, "I fuse Polymer Idea-Drone and Chronogear - Ethos Jackal in my hand." Both monsters appeared on the field momentarily before going into the colorful vortex.

"Mechanical machine of combination! Warrior jackal of time! Become one in order to gain more power to freeze time and space! Fusion Summon! Appear! Chronogear - Freeze Mantis ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 2100, LV: 6)!" A mantis with light blue metal body parts appeared on the field and had hands instead of claws. It also had a clock ticking inside the center of the mantis' armor.

Mikleo looked at Yuya, "When Ethos Jackal is used as Material for "Chronogear" Fusion Monster, that monster gains 400 ATK."

 **Chronogear - Freeze Mantis** ( **ATK: 2300** → **2700** )

Mikleo grabbed another card in his hand, "Next, by banishing a "Chronogear" monster from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Chronogear - Reform Eagle ( **ATK: 1900** , DEF: 1800, LV: 5)." As he banished Ethos Jackal from his Graveyard, Mikleo summoned an eagle that had brownish-orange metal armor all around its body and had blue and green energy coming out of the gaps of the eagle's armored wings.

"And since Ethos Jackal was banished, I can Special Summon it ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1900, LV: 5) to my field." Mikleo brought out a black armored jackal-like monster, standing on two feet, that had gears turning on the jackal's wrists, purple armor on the shoulders, chest and head of the design. The jackal was wearing a mask while also wielding a spear-like staff, that had a glowing blue aura around the tip of it, in its left hand.

Yuya looked at the monsters Mikleo summoned, "Two Level 5 monsters…" He had a feeling he knew what was coming which was then proven correct.

Mikleo held out his hand, "I overlay my Level 5 Reform Eagle and Ethos Jackal." Both monsters turned into dark energy and then went into a portal.

"Psychic being with the power to see the future! Give birth to a new hope and a new path for time to flow! Xyz Summon! Appear! Chronogear - Vision Sorcerer ( **ATK: 2200** , DEF: 2600, RNK: 5, OVU: 2)!" Mikleo summoned a female witch with black hair and was wearing a yellow metallic dress while having green tattoos on her forehead.

Mikleo looked at Yuya, "When Ethos Jackal is used as Material for "Chronogear" Xyz Monster, that monster gains 400 ATK." Because of Jackal's effect, one of Mikleo's monsters powered up again.

 **Chronogear - Vision Sorcerer** ( **ATK: 2200** → **2600** )

Tatsuya looked excited, "Awesome! Big Bro Mikleo can do Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Summoning all in one turn as well!"

Yuzu was amazed, "Amazing…" If Mikleo can really do all of that, then it is no wonder Yuya has gotten a lot better. The others were amazed by what they saw as well.

Mikleo pointed at Vision Sorcerer, "I activate Vision Sorcerer's monster effect. By using an Overlay Unit, once per turn, I can draw a card for every "Chronogear" monster I currently control." Since there are three "Chronogear" monsters on Mikleo's field, he drew 3 cards from his deck as one of Vision's Overlay Units vanished.

 **Chronogear - Vision Sorcerer** ( **OVU: 2** → **1** )

Mikleo looked at the cards he drew and then had a satisfied smirk on his face. He then placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Ritual Magic: Transcendental Quantity Ritual."

Yuya was surprised by both what Mikleo just activated and the fact that he was getting more serious this early in the duel. The others were surprised with Rin speaking, "Ritual Magic...which means…" She didn't need to say anything else as the others knew what she was trying to say and just nodded in response.

Mikleo held out his hand, "With this card, I can now Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from my hand by tributing monsters on my field or in my hand." However, instead, he took out two cards from his Graveyard, "However, if the monster I am summoning happens to be a "Chronogear" monster, I can banish monsters in my Graveyard as well. I banish Epistem Truth Dragon and Polymer Idea-Drone from my Graveyard." A temple-like structure that looked similar to Time Chamber appeared behind Mikleo and both monster turned into plasma energy that went inside the machine as it opened slowly.

"Winged phoenix that crosses time, transcend the boundaries of life and death to unleash your fury upon your foes! Ritual Summon! Appear! Chronogear Arch - Metallic Phoenix ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 3000, LV: 8)!" A mechanical phoenix came out of the machine and appeared on Mikleo's field. It had a saw-shaped gear on its forehead, golden brown armor all around its body and wings, which were purple underneath, and had a green gem in the middle of its chest armor.

Gongenzaka was amazed, "Ritual Summoning as well…" All of them were honestly amazed by the face that Mikleo performed all 4 of these summoning methods in one turn.

Mikleo pointed at his monster, "When Metallic Phoenix is successfully Ritual Summoned, all Magic and Trap Cards are returned to their owners' hands." Metallic Phoenix unleashed a whirlwind that blew away Yuya's facedown and his Pendulum Monsters in the Pendulum Zones and Mikleo's Time Chamber, returning all of them to their respective hands.

Mikleo then closed his eyes while looking at Yuya, "I will admit, you've definitely gotten stronger little brother. But it's not enough to defeat me." He was smiling a little as he said that last part. Yuya huffed a little in frustration from hearing his brother say that.

Yuya looked at Mikleo, "...You were always the stronger one Mikleo. After all, without you and my dad, I don't think I would be this strong today." Yuya acknowledged that mostly everything he learned as a duelist was from his brother and father. He was grateful for everything his brother, Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and You Show has ever done for him during his childhood as he had a smile on his face.

Mikleo smiled a little, seeing his brother's happiness before closing his eyes, "Yeah. Before, I remember what it was like...before." He frowned a little from a memory he's now recalling to everyone.

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - (NEARBY) LDS_

 _Flashback (11 years ago)_

 _It was around nighttime with all of the streetlights on and it was raining heavily around the city. There were a lot of people walking through the streets wearing coats and carrying umbrellas. In one of alleyways of the city, while people were walking past it and paying no mind to it, a young 5-year-old Yuya was sitting on the ground with a blanket around him and shivering from the cold wind blowing. Yuya was waiting for his brother to get back._

 _After around a minute, a young 7-year-old Mikleo ran into the alleyway and stopped in front of his brother. He was soaking wet from the rain and breathing a little heavily from all of the running he just did. He was also carrying something that was covered by a piece of cloth._

 _Mikleo kneeled down to look at his brother with a small smile and untied the cloth, revealing some pieces of bread, "Here you go, Yuya. I got us some bread." Yuya smiled happily and took some pieces in response; he was eating them happily, relieved to finally have something to eat. Mikleo then sat down next to Yuya and began eating some of the bread as well._

 _They don't know where they came from or who their parents were, all they know is that they've been on the streets for a while since they were forced out the orphanage in Maiami City due to budget cuts. Yuya has been scared as to what's going to happen to them but Mikleo simply refuses to let either of them suffer so everyday he tries to find a way to either get money or food for the both of them whether by offering to help people or dueling them, it didn't matter to him. So far, he thinks they've been doing okay on their own but he wonders how long they will last._

 _Sometimes, people notice them all alone in these alleyways and figured that these two boys were orphans but were really reluctant to help them as they had their own problems and some were unwilling to take them in or at least help them out. Mikleo was a little upset at this but paid it no mind as it didn't matter right now while Yuya was saddened by it. Mikleo knew his little brother was trying to stay strong, but if this kept up, it might not last long so he wonders what they could do._

" _Oh!" Both of them were startled when they heard a different voice and turned their heads to where that voice was coming from which from the opening of the alleyway. It was a woman wearing a blue coat carrying an umbrella above her. She had green eyes and long blond hair with golden bangs in the front. She had a surprised look on her face as she saw the two boys all alone, dirty, and sitting in this alleyway. After a minute, she then walked over to the two boys._

 _Mikleo was looking at her curiously, wondering what she was doing while Yuya, a little frightened, hid behind Mikleo and watching from his shoulder what the woman was doing._

 _The woman, who was Yoko Sakaki, stopped and took a closer look at the two boys. One was a young boy with green and red hair in a "tomato" hairstyle and, curiously, this boy also had both a green and red eye which makes him dichromatic; it brought her more curiosity as she has rarely seen people with multi-colored eyes. She could see that the boy was a little frightened as he must not know how to interact with strangers and that saddened her a little. She then looked at the other boy, who looked a little older than the other, as he had black and red hair which was more brushed down than the other boy's hairstyle; he had just red eyes unlike his brother. She saw how the boy was watching her with both caution and curiosity for her as she was a stranger to him as well._

 _She gave them a small smile, "Where are your parents?" She tried not to scare them and just asked a simple question as they were all alone. The two boys frowned and looked down at the ground from hearing her question, giving her an answer._

 _She frowned a little, "So you boys are all alone…" She felt really sad at seeing them like this as she thought, "Poor boys…" She was then thinking about what she could do for them but then remembered that her and Yusho always wanted to have children and then got an idea. To the boys' confusion, Yoko took out her cellphone and proceeded to call somebody._

 _Yoko was speaking on the phone while the boys were listening, "Yusho...Yeah, it's me...I need to ask something. I found two boys here all alone with no parents...Yeah, I know...Do you think we can take them in?" From hearing that question made the boys have looks of surprise on their faces as she continued with a smile, "Alright, let's do it. Thanks, Yusho." She then hung up and put the phone away._

 _She kneeled down and looked at the two boys with a smile, "Would you poor boys like to have a home?" She was offering that her and Yusho would adopt these two boys and take them into our home._

 _Yuya and Mikleo were surprised by the question and didn't know what to say to each other. They were just offered to a chance to live someone like a family. From thinking that, brought them some hope before looking at each other and then they made their decision._

 _Flashback End._

* * *

Everyone was surprised, except for Shuzo, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka as they already knew about this, by the small past they had when they were little. They were frowning a little from the recollection they heard about how hard it was growing up a little in the streets.

Sora, while technically didn't mostly care about their past, looked away and frowned a little, feeling a little sympathetic as he knows what it was like to have no parents as he doesn't know either. He lived on Academia for as long as he could remember but he doesn't know who his parents were or if he even had any; being reminded of that made him frown a little. He was mostly trying to hide how hearing this story was affecting him even a little.

Ruri was a little sad from hearing Yuya and Mikleo's past lives and began thinking about her and Yuto's situation. If both her and Yuto didn't have each other or Shun, she shuddered to think how their lives may have been different and was also feeling sympathy for Yuya and Mikleo.

Rin was affected the most as she knows best what it is like to not have any parents and growing up on the streets. Both she and Yugo were on the streets before moving into the orphanage as they didn't know their parents either. She felt a little envious of the both of them as they were offered to be adopted by someone and they weren't.

Yuya, who was frowning before, then smiled a little, "Yeah. I somewhat remember those days. And then after that, I met Principal, Yuzu and Gongenzaka." While feeling a little sad from the memory, it was also because of that he met the people he considers the closest to him in his life and he's grateful for that. Yuzu and Gongenzaka, who were both frowning a little, smiled by how Yuya did turn that memory into a positive as they remembered the days they both met Yuya.

Mikleo then closed his eyes again, "Yeah. And then soon after, when you saw both me and dad dueling, you started to get interested in dueling as well."

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL_

 _Flashback (8 years ago)_

 _From around the last two weeks, Yuya has been watching both his brother and his father dueling and was amazed by the both of them. Yuya was amazed by how skilled his brother was and by how his father amazed the audience around him with entertainment while making his duels more exciting as well._

 _Then, one day inside the waiting room of You Show, Yuya came up to Mikleo with determination on his face, "Big Bro, I want you to teach me how to duel!"_

 _Mikleo, while surprised for a second, chuckled a little, "Heh, I told you to just call me Mikleo little brother. Second, you want to learn how to duel?" He figured that his little brother might want to learn how to duel but he didn't think it would be this early._

 _Yuya nodded excitedly, "Yeah! What you and dad do while dueling is really cool! Dad does amazing moves and you are really strong! I want to be like the both of you!" He was so inspired by how both his brother and father were dueling that he decided to try dueling out as well; another factor being is that Yuzu was starting to become a duelist as well since they're both in You Show._

 _Mikleo looked at Yuya, "Well I am glad you're finally taking an interest in dueling since you have your own deck now." As he said that, Yuya took out his cards to look at them with a smile on his face._

 _Yuya showed his cards to Mikleo excitedly, "Yeah! My dad gave me Entermate cards to go along with my Magicians and Odd-Eyes. I can't wait to see what I can do with them." Before Yusho decided to give Yuya Entermate cards, which was also his own Deck, for some reason, for as long as he could remember Yuya had his own cards which consisted of Magicians and Odd-Eyes cards._

 _Mikleo then kneeled down and gave Yuya a serious look, "Just so you know, just because you're my brother, it doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you." He wasn't really planning on giving him special treatment just because they're related. If he was going to teach Yuya, then he's doing it his way._

 _Yuya, however, shook his head and still smiled, "I don't mind. As long as you teach me, I don't care what I have to go through." He then pointed at his brother, "Just you wait, Mikleo! Someday I'll be as great of a duelist as you! I'll become a pro and have fun dueling others!" Mikleo was a little surprised by the declaration and chuckled a little in response, silently accepting the challenge._

 _Flashback End._

* * *

Yuzu looked at Yuya with curiosity, "So that's when Mikleo decided to teach you?"

Yuya smiled at Yuzu, "Yeah. Although, during that time, it was just the basics at first. I still had a lot learn when it came to combinations and other kinds of strategies. Eventually, I got the hang of it even though Mikleo didn't make it easy for me." He was scratching his neck as he recalled what he went through.

Mikleo didn't seem fazed by Yuya saying that as he shrugged his shoulders, "I had to be rough with you in order to teach you better. Besides, it's better than watching you struggle like a rookie or going for an Action Card every single duel."

Yuya seemed a little offended, "Hey! I was just a beginner back then! Cut me some slack!" Mikleo just smiled a little in response.

Ruri then looked at the both of them, "So if it was just the basics before, what happened that made you teach Yuya the other methods?"

Gongenzaka, who wasn't saying anything before, then remembered something and then looked at Yuya seriously, "Yuya! Before that, is what Mikleo said true? Were you holding back in your duels?" He seriously needed to ask this now as he couldn't before since You Show was on the line. The others looked at Yuya curiously, wondering the same thing when the question was asked.

Yuya then frowned, honestly expecting that question, and didn't say anything as he looked at the ground a little. After around half a minute, just as everything was thinking Yuya wasn't going to respond, he looked at Gongenzaka with a sad smile, "Well...you're half right. I was technically holding back but not really much."

Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes at the response, "What do you mean?"

Yuya then looked up at the ceiling a little, "...It's true that I wanted to get stronger as a duelist but to me, you already know this, dueling is more than just being competitive to me at least…" He trailed off a little as he recalled another memory.

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL_

 _Flashback (5 years ago)_

 _Yuya was sitting on the bench, waiting for his brother to show up. He was honestly still a little depressed that his father went missing and nobody has heard anything from him since that day he supposed to face off against Strong Ishijima. Many bullies would come up to him and mock him for his father being a "coward" and all of that. Sometimes, they would even demand a duel from Yuya and most of the time he wins, but there were a couple duels that he couldn't win and Yuzu, Gongenzaka and even his brother had help him instead. And it was not just that, he was also thinking about his duel with Reiji around a year ago where he was basically defeated because he was the better duelist. From thinking about those two things, it frustrated him honestly and he's been wanting to ask Mikleo something since he first started teaching him._

 _Soon after, Mikleo came through the door and walked towards his brother. Yuya saw him and then ran towards him with a hasty expression on his face._

 _Mikleo, curious as to why his brother seems to be more hasty than usual, looked at Yuya when he stopped in front of him, "What's the matter, Yuya?"_

 _Yuya had a look of determination on his face, "Mikleo, I need you to teach me all of the other methods!"_

 _Mikleo raised an eyebrow, "What?"_

 _Yuya lowered his head a little, "I know you can do Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Summoning...I need to get stronger to face strong people someday. So please, Mikleo, teach me these methods!" He saw during some of Mikleo's duels how he can do all of the summoning methods and wondered if he could teach him those as well especially since it could also make him stronger as well._

 _Yuya then had his eyes closed, waiting for an answer from his brother and almost expecting to hear a "no". However, Mikleo patted Yuya on the head, which made him raise his head, and he looked at Yuya with a small smile on his face, "I was wondering when you would finally ask me that. Honestly, I've been wanting to teach you them soon enough."_

 _Yuya started getting excited, "So does this mean…?"_

 _Mikleo then nodded, "Sure. I'll teaching you these methods. But just like before, don't me expect to take it easy on you."_

 _Yuya raised a fist in excitement, "Alright! Thank you, Mikleo!"_

Just then, Yuya spoke, "And soon after, Mikleo started teaching me all of the other methods."

Mikleo shrugged his shoulders, "I know what you all are going to ask. No, I don't remember where exactly I learned these methods. I just knew about them and had the cards for as long as I had my deck." Mikleo didn't really remember when or where he learned the other methods. All he knows is that he's had them for as he was born so it just came to him naturally when it came to learning them.

Yuya then smiled, "And then, Mikleo gave me Mystic."

 _(Around six months later)_

 _Mikleo held out a blue card towards Yuya, "Here Yuya. I think you should have this."_

 _Yuya looked at the card with curiosity before taking and reading it, "Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon?" Wasn't this a Ritual Monster that he learned about from Mikleo recently?_

 _He looked at his brother, "You're giving this to me?" He was wondering if he deserved such a powerful card from his brother and was curious to why._

 _Mikleo nodded with a smile, "Yeah. Besides, I think you should get used to Ritual Summoning since you've just learned about it." He then pointed at the card, "And Mystic is a good card to have in order to master Ritual Summoning."_

 _Yuya looked at the card with wonder, "Are you sure it's okay for me to have it?"_

 _Mikleo then scratched his head, "Yeah, I insist. Besides…" He then seemed a little hesitate to say this, "...something tells me that Mystic is better off with someone like you as a partner, Yuya."_

 _Yuya looked at Mikleo with confusion for a second before smiling happily, "Thank you, Mikleo!" He then raised the card up in his hand to get a better look at it, "Hello, Mystic! I'm Yuya! Me, my Magicians, Odd-Eyes, and Entermates will all become great friends with you!"_

Yuzu looked at Mikleo, "So that's how Yuya got Mystic…" She had no idea that Yuya had gotten another dragon from his brother.

Yuya looked at the others as he continued, "But soon after, I began to win a lot more of my duels and to be honest, I kinda got bored."

 _(Around a year later)_

 _Yuya looked at his brother, a little dissatisfied, "Mikleo!"_

 _Mikleo looked at Yuya with confusion, "What is it?"_

 _Yuya, who looked like he wanted to say something, didn't say anything for a few seconds before sighing, "I think I need to hold back."_

 _Mikleo raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"_

 _Yuya then waved his arms in frustration, "I keep winning my matches so easily and it's so boring! I want to have fun while dueling as well but I can't do that if I win too fast!" Yuya was getting a little bored by just winning all of the time and not going back forth with good opponents. Winning wasn't everything to him as he wanted both him and his opponents to have fun as well regardless if he wants to be the best or not._

 _Mikleo looked at his brother with semi-confusion on his face, "And that's why you want to hold back?" He was a little confused by Yuya's logic but he has his own ideology when it comes to dueling so he somewhat understands it. He does wonder if he's making the right decision or not._

 _Yuya nodded, "Yeah. It's no fun to a lot of people if I win all of the time and I want the people I am dueling to have fun as well." He then looked at Mikleo with resolve, "So I made my decision."_

 _Mikleo sweatdropped a little before sighing, "Alright. You do whatever you want, little brother."_

 _Flashback End._

* * *

By the time both Yuya and Mikleo were finished explaining some of their backstory, everyone had surprised and confused looks on their faces. The fact that Yuya wanted to hold back just to have more fun while dueling is honestly a little surprising to them. Sora, while looking more confused than surprised, didn't say anything and just narrowed his eyes at Yuya.

Gongenzaka, who wasn't saying anything before, glared a little at Yuya, "Yuya, is that all true? You were holding back just to have more fun in dueling?" There was a hint of irritation in his voice as he was speaking as he was upset from the revelation he was just. Deep down, he knew that Yuya wasn't being serious in their duels before but to hear him actually admit he was holding back kinda did hurt him a little.

Yuzu just looked at Yuya with a frown on her face as she felt a little disappointed that he didn't say anything about this before. Didn't he trust them? Aren't we his friends? Those were questions that were going through Yuzu's mind as she looked at him.

Yuya just looked at the ground while nodding, "...Yeah. I'm sorry that I didn't mention this before."

Gongenzaka, however, looked more irritated as he raised his fist, "Yuya! Haven't we always said that holding back or taking pity on your opponent is the same as disrespecting him?!" He honestly didn't want to be upset at Yuya but he couldn't keep quiet about this since it was technically disrespecting both him and Yuzu since they dueled Yuya before and he was supposedly holding back against them. Yuya didn't say anything in response as he had a sad look on his face.

Yuzu was a little upset at Yuya as well, "Aren't we your friends Yuya? Why didn't you tell us this before? You should have trusted us with this information." She wanted Yuya to understand that she was upset as well and he could have said something about this earlier. Now that she finally knows the reason Yuya has been holding back, it honestly upset her more and she was frustrated at herself on the inside for not noticing something before. Yuya, once again, didn't say anything and just looked away in response.

Ruri, seeing the disappointment from the both of them, tried to calm them down, "Now, now Yuzu, Gongenzaka, please calm down. Maybe Yuya has a good reason for not telling you before." She honestly wasn't that upset at Yuya but a little grateful to hear some more backstory from him as she didn't know what he went through in the past as she didn't grew up with him in his childhood so she's not that upset at him. She could, however, understand why Yuzu and Gongenzaka would be upset at this as they grew up with Yuya before.

Rin, however, seemed to be pondering something as she had her arms crossed, "But...when Yuya dueled me before, it didn't seem like he was holding back…" She could honestly tell that Yuya didn't hold anything back in their duel so she was curious if Yuya changed his mind sometime before he met her.

Yuya nodded a little, "...Yeah. After the duel with Strong Ishijima, I made the decision to not hold back in my duels anymore."

Sora narrowed his eyes as he chewed, really hard on his lollipop, "But, you were holding back in my duel though." Even though he heard Yuya's reason, he was still irritated at Yuya especially since he thought his reason seemed a little ridiculous and naive.

Yuya scratched the back of his head in semi-embarrassment, "Yeah. That was honestly out of habit. I guess I've been doing it for so long that, sometimes, I accidently subconsciously choose to hold back." After his duel with Sora, he actually knew that he could have maybe won the duel earlier if he had used his Magicians' Pendulum Effects but, honestly, he was focussed on trying to determine what kind of duelist Sora was, as he wasn't sure about him due to his dream before, and actually have fun in his duel that he didn't notice that "mistake" until after the duel. He kind of feels bad for it but didn't think much of it as he would have won either way.

Yuya then gave Sora a small smile, "Plus, I wanted to have more fun in our duel before Sora."

Sora didn't say anything and just stared at Yuya for a few seconds, wondering if he's actually serious. He then sighed, "...Whatever." To the others' confusion, he then turned and began to walk away.

Shuzo looked surprised to see Sora walking away, "Wait! Sora, where are you going?"

Sora stopped for a second to look at the others with a stern expression, "I just need time to think on this. That's all." He then turned and walked away, exiting out of You Show and out of people's sights.

Shuzo looked a little worried for Sora, understanding why he would feel frustrated, "Sora…" All of them were frowning to see Sora leaving including Ruri, who could see that Sora was having trouble processing this considering who he is and didn't say anything about it.

Mikleo sighed a little, "I honestly expected that kind of response." From what he has seen of Sora, there are still some things he finds questionable about the boy but he could see that Sora is someone that does not like to be underestimated by anyone for any reason.

Yuya watched as Sora left, feeling a little guilty for upsetting him, "Sora…" Even though he still doesn't know much about Sora and honestly still thinks there is something going on that involves him in a way, he honestly considers him a friend and couldn't help but feel bad for him.

Gongenzaka, while a little concerned for Sora, still had his attention towards Yuya, "There's a difference between trying to have fun with your opponent and disrespecting them. Have you forgotten that your father never held back in a duel and still managed to make people smile?" He could honestly understand a little by how Yuya was feeling but this was something he needed to get off his chest ever since his father disappeared and Yuya wasn't dueling seriously since then.

However, to their surprise, hearing his father mentioned like that made something snap inside Yuya as he narrowed his eyes at the others, "You don't think I already know that!? Why do you think I wasn't dueling seriously before?! Just to be a clown?! Just to try to be funny?!" The others had shocked faces as Yuya was literally yelling at them and couldn't speak in response. Yuya gripped his fist, "I was also trying to get over the pain of losing my father. It wasn't just because I wanted to have fun in my duels. I didn't say anything because I thought you and the others would already understand! No, instead you kept forcing your damn expectations on me just because of who my dad is!" Yuya wasn't really this aggressive but hearing Gongenzaka complain about how he should duel reminded him of the pain he kept hidden inside and he couldn't take it anymore. He knew that this kind of reaction would happen with Yuzu and Gongenzaka but it still hurt to see them like this.

Ruri, Rin, and the kids didn't know what to say as they were shocked by how angry Yuya was at the moment and they felt like Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and Shuzo knew more about this than them so they really couldn't say anything about it.

Gongenzaka, Yuzu, and Shuzo were the most shocked as they have never seen Yuya this angry before. Mikleo didn't say anything as he kept a neutral expression, somewhat expecting this to happen sooner or later.

Yuzu looked at Yuya with a sad and concerned look on her face, "No, Yuya. We were just…"

However, Yuya interrupted her while looking down at the ground with his eyes closed, "You're supposed to my friends and yet you all didn't really notice how I really felt! I have different opinions when it comes to dueling Gongenzaka and not everyone has the same ideology when it comes to dueling!" He was breathing heavily as he finished yelling out his frustrations deep in his heart. Even though what he said was somewhat true, he couldn't believe what he had just said as it was sort of a "spur of the moment" type of thing since something snapped inside of him.

Yuya raised his head to look everyone and was surprised by the fact that everyone gave him a surprised and overwhelmed look on their faces; he then processed in his head what he just spouted out and then almost immediately regretted saying that stuff as now they were looking at him with sad expressions.

Gongenzaka, who was overwhelmed by the fact that his best friend just yelled at him, processed what Yuya said and then had a look of immediate regret on his face for yelling at him earlier. He looked away with a frown on his face as what Yuya said was true: he was hurting on the inside and he hid it by the both holding back and acting like a clown at the same time. Gongenzaka knew somewhat the reason why Yuya was doing it before and, to be honest, from all the duels they had together, he was so frustrated with Yuya not being serious in his duels that he didn't notice the big picture as to why Yuya doing it. It took the fact of his mom revealing why Yuya acted like that during his duel with Strong Ishijima for him to realize why Yuya was doing it and that made him sad. Gongenzaka then felt sad for Yuya and angry at himself, " _Even though I protected Yuya from bullies back then, I wasn't there to support him emotionally."_ He now wished he was a better best friend back then when Yuya was hurting.

Yuzu looked at Yuya with a frown on her face before looking away, feeling depressed and almost feeling like crying for how much Yuya was hurting inside. Even though she could that Yuya was almost regretting saying that stuff, deep down, she knew that what he was saying was the truth and that hurt her even more. Yuzu almost felt tears in her eyes, " _Was Yuya feeling this way all of this time? Sure, I was a little frustrated by the fact of how he was handling his father's disappearance but I didn't think it was that serious. He was hurting on the inside and I didn't notice anything. Heh, some childhood friend I am. I am so stupid for not realizing all of this sooner."_ She now felt angry at herself for not doing anything to support Yuya as what he said was somewhat the truth.

Shuzo now had a regretful look on his face as he looked at the ground, " _I should noticed sooner. I knew something was up but I thought Yuya didn't need any support as he seemed fine before. Some teacher I am. I should have been there to support my student especially when Yusho-senpai went missing."_ He then frowned and gripped his fists as he felt bad for not noticing anything sooner.

Ayu looked at Yuya worried, "I have never seen Big Bro Yuya this angry before." Futoshi had a frown on his face as he was also confused and concerned, "He was hiding all of this?" Tatsuya looked back and forth at everyone, concerned by how everyone was feeling before looking at Yuya, "Big Bro Yuya…"

What no one realize is that behind one of the wall's corners, Yoko was listening in the conversation as she arrived almost a few minutes ago and heard everything both Yuya and Mikleo said. Yoko had a sad frown on her face as she heard her son's pain, " _Yuya…"_

Ruri and Rin both didn't know what to say as they were feeling sad for Yuya and the others because of them hearing the sad past they had. Both of them felt that they didn't know what they should say as neither of them grew up with Yuya so they didn't feel as bad as Yuzu or Gongenzaka but they still felt sad for Yuya.

Yuya saw the look of sadness on everyone's faces and then got depressed from yelling out his frustrations. He honestly didn't want to say it like that but it came out that way and he wasn't denying that it wasn't the truth. Now, he honestly feels bad for saying it because he's technically blaming them for him feeling depressed somewhat.

Mikleo, having heard enough, decided to speak as he looked at Yuya seriously, "Yuya, I understand how you feel from losing our dad but you didn't really need to blame them for your misery especially when part of it is your own fault."

Yuya raised his head, confused at his brother, "What?"

Mikleo narrowed his eyes, "I went along with your desire to hold back because I respected your wishes so I didn't say anything about it. But, honestly, there could have been better ways for you to handle this." Yuya lowered his head a little, silently admitting that he was right. Maybe there could have been a better way to deal with the depression but he didn't know how so he went with an easy option.

Then, Mikleo gave his brother a cold look, "It was also one of the reasons I stopped training you a year ago. So you could find your own answer to dueling but it looks like I was wrong. You still have a ways to go." Yuya raised his head, confused by his brother's coldness and wondering what he meant by that.

Mikleo grabbed a card in his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Paradox Crossing. It allows me to bring back a banished "Chronogear" monster to my field. Revive, Chronogear - Epistem Truth Dragon ( **ATK: 2400** )!" Epistem Truth was brought back to Mikleo's field, making have five monsters on his side of the field.

"When Epistem Truth Dragon is Special Summoned, I reveal the top card of my Deck and depending on the type of card shown, I apply an effect." He drew and looked at his card before showing, "It is a Trap Card so I send it to the Graveyard." Mikleo just sent the card he shown to the Graveyard.

Yuya, still confused by what his brother was talking about, narrowed his eyes as he realized that Mikleo is now continuing the duel.

Mikleo pointed at Extend Magnet, "Extend Magnet Dragon's monster effect. Once per turn, one monster on the field has its battle position changed. Magnet Pulse!" Extend Magnet gathered proton and neutron energy in its hands before launching them at La Panda, forcing it into attack position.

 **Entermate La Panda** ( **DEF: 3500** → **ATK: 800** )

Mikleo pointed at his monsters, "Battle! Freeze Mantis attacks Entermate La Panda!" Freeze Mantis used the jet boosters on the back of its legs to launch itself towards La Panda.

Yuya, getting over his surprise, pointed at La Panda, "I activate Entermate La Panda's monster effect! Once per turn, when a Pendulum Monster I control is attacked, I can negate the attack!" La Panda blew into his tuba which blew out soundwaves at Mantis.

Mikleo didn't seem fazed as he closed his eyes, "When Freeze Mantis attacks, you're not allowed to activate any monster effects until the end of the Damage Step." Mantis didn't seemed fazed by La Panda's tuba and continued charging forward. It then came up and slashed La Panda, destroying it.

 **YUYA LP** : **4000** → **2100**

Yuya gritted his teeth a little as he looked at his brother, "I activate Entermate Lizardraw's monster effect. When another face-up monster I control is destroyed, I can draw cards equal to the number of "Entermate" monsters I currently control." Since there were currently two on Yuya's field, he drew two cards.

Mikleo held out his hand, "Epistem Truth Dragon attacks Entermate Lizardraw!" Epistem launched a fiery blast towards Lizardraw and destroyed it.

"Vision Sorcerer attacks Entermate Partnaga!" Vision waved her hands around that produced a purple wave of psychic energy that destroyed Partnaga, leaving Yuya's field completely empty.

Ayu then looked at Yuya worried, "Big Bro Yuya has no monsters on his field!" Futoshi looked worried as worried, "Does this mean that he will lose…?"

Mikleo held out his hand again, "Metallic Phoenix attacks you directly!" Metallic Phoenix flew up and then was flying straight down towards Yuya, ready strike him with its wings.

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little before looking at his hand and revealing a card, "I activate the effect of Entermate Kuribohrder in my hand! When I'm attacked directly by my opponent's monster, I can negate the attack and Special Summon Entermate Kuribohrder (ATK: 300, **DEF: 200** , LV: 1) to my field!" As Phoenix stopped advancing towards Yuya, Yuya brought out a brown kuriboh monster that was wearing a striped nightcap and had a striped tail with a star on the end of it.

Yuya looked at Mikleo, "And then I gain LP equal to the ATK of the monster that had just attacked."

 **YUYA LP** : **2100** → **4700**

Mikleo, once again, didn't seem fazed and pointed at his last monster, "Extend Magnet Dragon attacks Entermate Kuribohrder!" Extend Magnet launched a blue-grayish blast from its mouth towards Kuriborder and destroyed it.

Mikleo closed his eyes, "I end my turn."

Yuzu, while still a little upset at herself, looked at Yuya worriedly, "Yuya…"

Yuya placed his fingers on his Deck, "My turn, draw!" He then grabbed a card in his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Entermate Cast Change! I reveal Entermate Card Gardna, Monkeyboard, and Spike Eagle in my hand." He showed three monsters he had in his hand to Mikleo. Yuya then shuffled them into his Deck, "Then I shuffle these monsters into my Deck and draw cards equal to the amount I shuffled along with another one!" Yuya shuffled three cards so he drew four cards from his Deck as it was done shuffling.

"I now activate the Magic Card: Pot of Greed which allows me to draw 2 cards!" Yuya then drew two more cards from his Deck.

Yuya then grabbed two other cards, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 Entermate Drumming Kong and Scale 9 Barrier Magician!" Yuya placed both monster into the Pendulum Zones. One of the monsters that appeared was a gorilla wearing a suit and a top hat; it also had drums for a chest and cymbals as its shoulders. The giant pendulum then appeared on the field as Yuya began his chant.

"And now I can summon monsters with Levels 3 and 8 at the same time! Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" Five monsters appeared from the portal, "Appear, from the Extra Deck, Entermate La Panda ( **DEF: 800** ) and Entermate Partnaga ( **DEF: 2100** )! And from my hand, Odd-Eyes Magician ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1500, LV: 6, PS: 8), Odd-Eyes Swordsman ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1200, LV: 5, PS: 3), and Sacredragon Magician ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 3000, LV: 8, PS: 7)!" Panda, Partnaga, Odd-Eyes Magician and Swordsman all appeared on the field along with a fifth monster that was a male magician with long greenish-yellow hair and was wearing a white robe with different shades of blue, white gloves, and a purple and white hat that was almost similar to a priest's clothing; it also wielding a long staff in his left hand.

Yuya pointed at Sacredragon, "I activate Sacredragon Magician's monster effect! When this card is Pendulum Summoned from my hand, I can destroy a card on the field! I destroy Extend Magnet Dragon!" Sacredragon Magician charged up magic and then launched a blue stream of energy towards Extend Magnet.

Mikleo still didn't seem fazed, "I activate Vision Sorcerer's monster effect. Once per turn, when a "Chronogear" monster I control would be destroyed, I can pay 600 LP to negate its destruction." Vision Sorcerer drew an arc of magic that made a barrier appear around Extend Magnet and protect it from the blast.

 **MIKLEO LP** : **4000** → **3400**

Mikleo then held out his hand, "Furthermore, Extend Magnet Dragon's effect activates. During my opponent's turn, all of my opponent's monsters lose 600 ATK." Extend Magnet unleashed a shockwave that made it harder for Yuya's monsters to move.

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2300** → **1700** )  
 **Sacredragon Magician** ( **ATK: 2400** → **1800** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 2000** → **1400** )  
 **Entermate Partnaga** (ATK: 500→0)  
 **Entermate La Panda** (ATK: 800→200)

Ruri looked at Yuya a little concerned, "Now Yuya will have a harder time attacking…"

Yuya pointed at his magician, "I activate Odd-Eyes Magician's effect! All Pendulum Monsters I control gain 500 ATK!"

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 1700** → **2200** )  
 **Sacredragon Magician** ( **ATK: 1800** → **2300** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 1400** → **1900** )  
 **Entermate Partnaga** (ATK: 0→400)  
 **Entermate La Panda** (ATK: 200→700)

Yuya placed a card in his duel disk, "Next, I activate the Field Magic: Entermate Dramatic Theater!" A stage theater with different props appeared on Yuya's field from below his monsters.

"With Dramatic Theater, all monsters I control gain 200 ATK for every monster I control with a different type." Yuya currently has 4 different types on the field with Swordsman being a Warrior-type, Sacredragon and Odd-Eyes are Spellcaster-types, Partnaga being a Reptile-type and La Panda being a Beast-type so Yuya's monsters gain 800 ATK ( **4 x 200 = 800** ).

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2200** → **3000** )  
 **Sacredragon Magician** ( **ATK: 2300** → **3100** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 1900** → **2700** )  
 **Entermate Partnaga** (ATK: 400→1200)  
 **Entermate La Panda** (ATK: 700→1500)

Yuya pointed at Partnaga, "I activate Entermate Partnaga's monster effect! Once per turn, one monster I control gains 300 ATK for every "Entermate" I control! I select Odd-Eyes Swordsman!" Since Partnaga and La Panda were on the field, Swordsman gained 600 ATK.

 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 2700** → **3300** )

Yuya looked at Mikleo, "Battle! I attack Vision Sorcerer with Odd-Eyes Swordsman!" Swordsman charged forward towards Sorcerer, ready to slash through the monster.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes, "Extend Magnet Dragon's monster effect! Once per turn, one monster on the field has its battle position changed! Magnet Pulse!" Extend Magnet Dragon unleashed proton and neutron energy at Swordsman, forcing to stop attacking and switching to defense.

 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 3300** → **DEF: 1200** )

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little, "Then I attack Freeze Mantis with Odd-Eyes Magician! Spiral Magic!" Odd-Eyes Magician unleashed his colorful magic blast that went towards Freeze Mantis.

Mikleo just had a neutral look on his face, "Freeze Mantis' effect activates. Once per turn, when my opponent's monster declares an attack, I can negate the attack." Freeze Mantis was slashing through the air which made time slow down for a second before forcing the blast to disappear as a result.

Yuya held out his hand, "Sacredragon Magician attack Freeze Mantis!" Just as Sacredragon was charging up his attack, Yuya pointed at Drumming Kong, "I activate Drumming Kong's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, when a monster I control battle an opponent's monster, that monster gains 600 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase!" Drumming Kong was beating on the drum on its chest which granted more power to Sacredragon Magician.

 **Sacredragon Magician** ( **ATK: 3100** → **3700** )

Sacredragon then launched his blue magical blast towards Freeze Mantis and destroyed it.

 **MIKLEO LP** : **3400** → **2400**

Yuya looked at Mikleo, "Since it is the end of the Battle Phase, Drumming Kong's effect ends as well."

 **Sacredragon Magician** ( **ATK: 3700** → **3100** )

Yuya then placed a card in his duel disk, "I now activate the Magic Card: Polymerization and fuse Odd-Eyes Swordsman and Entermate Partnaga on my field!" Both monsters went into the colorful vortex as Yuya began the chant.

"Sword wielder with dual-colored eyes, become one with the colorful snake of partnership in order to gain abilities to create colorful firepower! Fusion Summon! Appear! Entermate Odd-Eyes Blaster Raccoon (ATK: 2200→1600, **DEF: 1600** , LV: 6)!" Yuya summoned Blaster Raccoon to the field who was weakened a little from Extend Magnet Dragon's effect.

And since Partnaga and Swordsman left the field while Blaster Raccoon appeared in their place, Dramatic Theater had Yuya's monsters' ATK changed.

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 3000** → **2800** )  
 **Sacredragon Magician** ( **ATK: 3100** → **2900** )  
 **Entermate Odd-Eyes Blaster Raccoon** (ATK: 1600→2200)  
 **Entermate La Panda** (ATK: 1500→1300)

Yuya pointed at Blaster Raccoon, "I activate Entermate Odd-Eyes Blaster Raccoon's monster effect! Once per turn, I can destroy a card on the field! I destroy Vision Sorcerer!" Raccoon loaded a rocket into his launcher and released it towards Vision Sorcerer, destroying it in a colorful explosion.

Yuya looked at Mikleo, "And since the card I chose was a monster, you now take 600 damage."

 **MIKLEO LP** : **2400** → **1800**

Mikleo still didn't look fazed, "When Vision Sorcerer is destroyed, I gain 400 LP for every "Chronogear" monster that is banished." Since there are currently two monsters that are banished, Mikleo gains 800 LP.

 **MIKLEO LP** : **1800** → **2600**

Yuya felt a little disappointed that he couldn't do much more as he looked at the ground, "I end my turn." Since Yuya's turn was now over, Extend Magnet Dragon no longer has its effects applied.

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2800** → **3400** )  
 **Sacredragon Magician** ( **ATK: 2900** → **3500** )  
 **Entermate Odd-Eyes Blaster Raccoon** (ATK: 2200→2800)  
 **Entermate La Panda** (ATK: 1300→1900)

Mikleo placed his fingers on his Deck, "My turn, draw!" He grabbed a card in his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Spellbook Inside the Pot which means we both get to draw 3 cards from our Decks." Yuya and Mikleo both drew 3 cards from their decks and added them to their hands.

Mikleo then smiled a little as he placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Black Hole!" Yuya's eyes widened in surprise as Mikleo wasn't finished, "With this card, all monsters on the field are destroyed!" As soon as he said that, a giant black wormhole appeared below the entire field that caused all monsters to get destroyed.

The audience watching was shocked by what they saw with Yuzu saying, "He destroyed his own monsters?"

Futoshi was confused, "But...that leaves his own field empty." Rin then looked and saw how Mikleo was still smiling a little, "Somehow I don't think it bothers him that much."

Mikleo looked at Yuya as he held up the cards of Extend Magnet and Metallic Phoenix, "Due to their effects, when Extend Magnet Dragon and Metallic Phoenix are destroyed, they are banished instead of being sent to the Graveyard." Mikleo then placed both cards in his pocket as Yuya narrowed his eyes a little.

Mikleo placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Quantum Assistance. By banishing two "Chronogear" monsters from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a "Chronogear" monster from my hand. I banish Ethos Jackal and Epistem Truth Dragon in order to Special Summon Chronogear - Timebreak Dragon ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 2700, LV: 7)!" As Ethos Jackal and Epistem Truth Dragon were banished from his Graveyard, Mikleo summoned a dragon in golden brown metallic armor, had no wings on its back but jet boosters in the shape of gears with metal parts floating above them instead, had a long tail that an oval shaped hole on the end of it, and it wielded a short bow staff with a large gear-shaped hole on the end of it.

"And since Ethos Jackal was banished, I can summon it back to the field." Soon after, Ethos Jackal was brought back to the field due to its effect.

 **Chronogear - Ethos Jackal** ( **ATK: 2000** )

"And when Epistem Truth Dragon is banished, I can add a "Chronogear" monster from my Graveyard back to my hand." Mikleo then added Reform Eagle to his hand due to Epistem's effect.

Mikleo then showed the card he just added, "I banish Polymer Idea-Drone from my Graveyard in order to Special Summon Chronogear - Reform Eagle ( **ATK: 1900** ) again!" As Polymer was banished, Mikleo summoned back Reform Eagle to his field.

Mikleo held out his hand, "Timebreak Dragon's monster effect! Once per turn, I can bring back a banished "Chronogear" monster to my field but it is banished during the End Phase! I use this effect to bring back Chronogear - Extend Magnet Dragon ( **ATK: 2800** )!" Timebreak Dragon drew a circle in the air which created a portal that brought back Extend Magnet Dragon.

Yuzu now looked worried for Yuya, "No way...Mikleo brought out four monsters again and Yuya barely has any defense."

Tatsuya looked amazed by Mikleo's move, "So the strategy of the Chronogear archetype to banish cards to get new ones?" He was confused at first but then amazed he saw what Mikleo did after he played Black Hole.

Mikleo looked at Yuya as he held out his hand, "Battle. Reform Eagle and Ethos Jackal attack you directly." Jackal and Eagle then charged forward to strike Yuya.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "Barrier Magician's Pendulum Effect. Twice per turn, I don't take any battle damage." A barrier was then projected around Yuya that protected him from both attacks.

Mikleo pointed at his other monsters, "But Timebreak Dragon still attacks you directly!" Timebreak spun his staff around before hitting Yuya with it and making him launch backwards.

 **YUYA LP** : **4700** → **2900**

Mikleo pointed at his last monster, "Extend Magnet Dragon attacks you directly!" Extend Magnet then launched a blue, red, and white blast from its mouth that hit Yuya, making him grunt in pain a little from the blast.

 **YUYA LP** : **2900** → **100**

Ruri looked worried for Yuya but then looked at Mikleo confused, "Mikleo could have won the duel if he had chosen Timebreak Dragon to attack first instead of Reform Eagle or Ethos Jackal." The others realized what Ruri meant and silently agreed, confused as to why Mikleo didn't finish it.

Mikleo grabbed a card in his hand, "I set a card and end my turn." Since it was the end of Mikleo's turn, Extend Magnet Dragon is once again banished.

Mikleo looked at Yuya with his arms crossed, "I hope you realize that I did that on purpose."

Yuya gritted his teeth a little in frustration, knowing that Mikleo meant that he purposely chose to not win during this turn.

Mikleo closed his eyes, "I'm giving you one last chance to try and prove me wrong. You may be nice when it comes to dueling and that's what I like about you, little brother. However…" He then opened his eyes to look at Yuya seriously, "...you already know that I can be ruthless when it comes to dueling."

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little and then sighed, " _I have to try and do something during this turn or else I'll know I'll lose."_

Yuya then had a look of resolve on his face, "My turn, draw!" Yuya held up his hand, "With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Four monsters appeared from the portal, "Revive from the Extra Deck! Odd-Eyes Magician ( **ATK: 2300** ), Sacredragon Magician ( **ATK: 2400** ), Odd-Eyes Swordsman ( **ATK: 2000** ), and Entermate Partnaga ( **DEF: 2100** )!" All four monsters appeared back on Yuya's field while Mikleo just narrowed his eyes in response.

Because the effects of Dramatic Theater were still in play and now Odd-Eyes Magician is on the field, Yuya's monster got stronger.

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2300** → **2800** → **3100** )  
 **Sacredragon Magician** ( **ATK: 2400** → **2900** → **3200** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2500** → **2800** )  
 **Entermate Partnaga** (ATK: 500→1000→1300)

Yuya pointed at Partnaga, "I activate Entermate Partnaga's monster effect and target Swordsman again!"

 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 2800** → **3100** )

Yuya placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Holy Glow Ritual and tribute Entermate Partnaga and Wickedragon Magician in my hand!" A dark blue temple appeared behind Yuya that also had metal torches around it. A female magician with purple long hair appeared on the field while wearing a dark dress, a purple wizard hat with horns, and was carrying a gray-colored staff that was shaped like a bow. Both Partnaga and Wickedragon then turned into blue flames which lit up the torches as the gateway opened.

"Blue dragon that lives in the skies! Come down to this earth to shine your holy judgement upon our foes! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 8! Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon ( **ATK: 2800** → **3100** , DEF: 2000, LV: 8)!" Yuya summoned Mystic Glow to the field alongside his other monsters.

Ayu looked happy to see the dragon, "There it is, Mystic Glow!" Tatsuya raised his fist in excitement, "This is Pendulum Ritual!" Futoshi was doing a happy dance, "The shivers!"

Mikleo looked at the dragon for a few seconds giving a small smile, "It's good to see you again, Mystic."

Mystic looked back at Mikleo, " _Likewise, old friend. And I apologize. Even though you used to be my master, I fight for Yuya now."_

Mikleo closed his eyes in response, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Yuzu looked at Mikleo confused, " _Is...Is Mikleo talking to Mystic?"_ She somewhat heard what he saying but wondering she heard it correctly as she looked at Mikleo and Mystic back and forth.

Yuya held out his hand, "I activate Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon's monster effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position with its effects negated! I bring back Wickedragon Magician (ATK: 2000, **DEF: 2100** , LV: 6, PS: 1)! Holy Resurrection!" Mystic roared as he was glowing blue and white with his wings flapping before bringing back Wickedragon Magician to the field.

"And then Mystic gains ATK equal to the original amount of the monster summoned until the End Phase!" Wickedragon transferred her power over to Mystic Glow.

 **Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon** ( **ATK: 3100** → **5100** )

Tatsuya looked even more excited, "It has 5100 ATK!"

Yuya then pointed at Mikleo, "Battle! Mystic Glow attack…!"

However, to his surprise, Mikleo interrupted with a smile, "Before you do that, I activate the Trap Card: Cards of Essense which destroys all of my "Chronogear" monsters." A face down flipped up and then all Mikleo's monsters were then destroyed, leaving his field empty.

"And then I draw a card for every monster that was destroyed by this effect." Mikleo drew 3 cards from his Deck as a result of the Trap.

Rin looked really confused, "Huh? But he left his entire field empty…"

Ruri looked a little concerned, "I don't think I like where this is going."

Mikleo calmly looked at Yuya, "The moment you said "Battle", you conducted your Battle Phase." Yuya nodded his head in confusion before Mikleo held out his hand, "Therefore, I activate the effect of the Trap Card: Paradox Will in my Graveyard!"

Yuya was surprised, "A Trap from your Graveyard?" He has never seen Mikleo do something like this before.

Mikleo looked at Yuya, "I can activate this effect during the Battle Phase. When this card is my Graveyard and I control no monsters, I can banish this card along with 3 "Chronogear" monsters from my Graveyard…" Paradox Will, Vision Sorcerer, Reform Eagle and Freeze Mantis were all banished as Mikleo wasn't done, "And then the Battle Phase ends."

Yuya's widened in shock, "What?" Now, he can't do anything to hurt Mikleo.

Mikleo then smiled confidently while clenching his fist, "I also regain LP equal to the ATK of the monster with the highest amount on the field!" Since Mystic was the strongest monster on the field at the moment, his strength gave Mikleo more life.

 **MIKLEO LP** : **2400** → **7500**

Ayu looked really surprised, "7500 LP…" Tatsuya then looked worried, "Now Big Bro Yuya can no longer attack!" The others were surprised that Mikleo effortlessly managed to stop Yuya from doing anything else. Yuzu looked on in worry, "Yuya…"

"Since Reform Eagle was banished, I can return Polymer Idea-Drone to my Graveyard" Mikleo returned the banished monster back into his Graveyard.

Mikleo looked at Yuya, "Mystic Glow can only prevent me from activating Traps when it attacks so what if I activate it before he attacks?"

Yuya gritted his teeth a little in disappointment as he couldn't finish it on this turn. He reluctantly grabbed a card in his hand and said, "...I set a card and end my turn." Since it was the end of Yuya's turn, Mystic Glow's effect ends as well.

 **Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon** ( **ATK: 5100** → **3100** )

Mikleo closed his eyes, seeing the disappointment on his brother's face, "It's been fun, Yuya. But now it's…" He then opened his eyes and had a look like he was ready to finish this, " _Final Turn_!" Yuya narrowed his eyes as he knew what that meant.

The others seemed a little surprised and confused by what Mikleo just proclaimed. Futoshi was pondering, "Final Turn?" Tatsuya then looked more worried than before, "It's what the Chrono Emperor used to do when he knows he's going to win on this turn!"

Tatsuya looked at the others, "Basically he's saying that he's going to end this duel on this turn with his victory!" Hearing that didn't sound very good for Yuya and the audience was a little concerned.

Mikleo placed his fingers on his Deck, "My turn, draw!" Right after Mikleo drew his card, cracks started appearing in thin air and when they broke, it opened a portal that brought back Extend Magnet Dragon and Metallic Phoenix to his field, to everyone's surprise except for Yuya.

 **Chronogear Arch - Extend Magnet Dragon** ( **ATK: 2800** )  
 **Chronogear Arch - Metallic Phoenix** ( **ATK: 2600** )

Gongenzaka looked a little overwhelmed after seeing the two monsters come back, "How are they back?" The others were wondering the same thing as well.

Mikleo had his eyes closed as he calmly said, "Due to their effects, when Extend Magnet Dragon and Metallic Phoenix are banished, I can Special Summon them back to my field during my next Standby Phase."

Mikleo then held out his hand, "Furthermore, when Metallic Phoenix is Special Summoned by this effect, one card on the field is returned to its owner's hand." Phoenix then flapped its wings to unleashed a whirlwind that blew away Barrier Magician, forcing Yuya to return it to his hand.

Mikleo looked at Yuya, "Now then, there's something you should know Yuya." Yuya raised an eyebrow, curious as to what Mikleo was about to say.

Mikleo had his hand out to Yuya, "There is another reason as to why I decided to stop training you a year ago and that…" He then grabbed two cards in his hand, "Is what I'm about to show you right now."

Yuya was a little confused as he narrowed his eyes, " _There's another reason? What on earth is he talking about?"_ He then decided to wait and see what Mikleo was about to do.

Mikleo then showed the cards he had in his hand, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Chronogear - Sorcerer Magala and Scale 9 Chronogear - Sorcerer Uluru!" Both monsters were placed into the Pendulum Zone and appeared on the field in blue columns of light.

Yuya was shocked, "Pendulum?!" Everyone else was in shock as well from what Mikleo just revealed.

Magala was a long platinum-blonde and pink haired female witch that was wearing a brown beret hat, brown colored armored long-sleeved jacket and skirt, and brown boots. She was also carrying gear-shaped fans in both of her hands.

Uluru was a black haired female witch that was wearing black clothing with a white dress underneath it and had gear shoulder pads on her clothing. There was also a giant hourglass that was floating near her as she had her hands on it, wielding the weapon.

Mikleo pointed at Magala, "I activate Sorcerer Magala's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, I can banish a card in my hand or field in order to draw a card!" Mikleo banished Time Chamber in his hand before drawing a new one.

Mikleo looked at Yuya, "With these cards, I can summon monsters with Levels between 2 and 8 simultaneously!"

Yuya was almost in disbelief just like before with Reiji, "No way…"

Mikleo held up three cards, "Pendulum Summon! Appear before me, my monster allies!" Three monsters appeared from the portal, "Chronogear Arch - Armor Jet Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2000, LV: 8, PS: 5)! Chronogear Arch - Ironhammer Colossus ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 3200, LV: 8, PS: 4)! And, from the dimensions of time and space comes a dragon that went through the depths of hell and has been reborn as a time guardian, Chronogear Arch - Chronologic Cyborg Dragon Helios ( **ATK: 3000** , DEF: 2500, LV: 8, PS: 6)!" The first monster that appeared was a blue armored dragon that had four wings in which two were blue and the others were yellow underneath; it also had hands instead of actually claws and was wearing a red scarf around its neck. The second monster that appeared was a dark yellow giant colossal robot made somewhat out of gears and had a huge iron hammer as its right arm. The final monster that appeared was a black dragon that had half the body of a cyborg with the left side being mostly made of robot parts including the arm, the left eye, and its wings was made of metal that were also had rockets inside of them; it had spiked blue armor around its chest and back, red eyes, sharp claws, boosters on the back of his legs, and a golden horn on top on his head.

Yuya looked a little overwhelmed, "Mikleo...really Pendulum Summoned…" In his mind, he was thinking two things: one of the monsters Mikleo summoned was Helios which is his ace monster and Yuya knew he was trouble then and there; he was also confused by how exactly Mikleo got Pendulum Cards as he couldn't have made them like Reiji did, could he?

Helios saw Yuya which meant that Mikleo was dueling him and that made him smile a little, " _It will be my pleasure to crush you again Yuya."_ Yuya narrowed his eyes even though he knew Helios was just being arrogant.

Mikleo pointed at one of his monsters, "When Armor Jet Dragon is Pendulum Summoned, it gains 500 ATK and DEF."

 **Chronogear Arch - Armor Jet Dragon** ( **ATK: 2500** → **3000** , DEF: 2000→2500)

"Chronologic Cyborg Dragon Helios' monster effect! Once per turn, one monster on the field lose 500 ATK and DEF! Demise Shift!" Helios roared, " _Choke on this!"_ Helios had one on his cannons launched a dark orb of energy that hit Mystic Glow and weakened it.

Mystic Glow was struggling a little, ' _I...can't move…!"_ He was getting a little frustrated that he can't do anything to help Yuya right now.

 **Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon** ( **ATK: 3100** → **2600** , DEF: 2000→1500)

Mikleo looked at Yuya, "Battle. I attack Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon with Helios! Ragnarok Destruction!" Helios then had his armored chest opened up which revealed a cannon that was charging up energy.

Yuya gritted his teeth as he pressed a button his duel disk, "I activate my Trap Card: Last Minute Cancel! When my opponent's monster attacks, I can switch all of my monsters into Defense Position!" Yuya's card then had all of his monsters switch to defense position.

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 3100** → **DEF: 1500** )  
 **Sacredragon Magician** ( **ATK: 3200** → **DEF: 3000** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 2800** → **DEF: 1200** )  
 **Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon** ( **ATK: 2600** → **DEF: 1500** )

Mikleo seemed unfazed as his closed his eyes, "That's pointless. Ironhammer Colossus' monster effect. When a "Chronogear" monster I control attacks a monster in Defense Position, it can inflict piercing damage."

Yuya's widened in surprise, "What?"

Helios was then finished charging and launched a large red blast towards Mystic Glow, completely destroying it. However, Yuya held up a card in his hand, "I activate Barrier Magician's monster effect! By sending this card to the Graveyard, the damage is reduced to 0 and the Battle Phase ends!" Yuya sent Barrier Magician from his hand to the Graveyard which protected him and stopped Mikleo's assault.

However, Mikleo calmly replied, "Ironhammer Colossus' other effect. When a "Chronogear" monster I control destroys an opponent's monster by battle, it inflicts 800 damage to my opponent." From saying that, he knew this match was decided.

Yuya was now even more surprised, "What?!" He then realized that there's nothing he could do to stop this effect.

Ironhammer then used the cannons inside its shoulders to launch multiple yellow blasts towards Yuya which connected. The blasts made Yuya fell on his knees as his other monsters disappear.

 **YUYA LP** : **100** → **0**

 **YUYA: LOSE  
** **MIKLEO: WIN**

Everyone was surprised by the outcome especially considering what just happened in the last turn. The kids were surprised to see Mikleo both performing Pendulum Summoning and the fact that he won against Yuya which Ayu commenting, "Big Bro Yuya lost…"

Yuzu and Gongenzaka finally had enough and ran towards the inside of the arena to check up on Yuya with Ruri and Rin in tow.

The kids were just about to follow them until when they saw Shuzo shaking his head, telling that they shouldn't do anything right now. Futoshi looked confused, "Principal?" Ayu was a little upset that they couldn't move, "Please let us through!"

Shuzo shook his head as he looked serious, "I think it would be better if you let the others handle it first before approaching Yuya." The kids were confused by what he meant by that and had no choice but to look on in concern.

Mikleo approached Yuya and offered a hand up which he accepted. Yuya then got up slowly as he recovered the small blows he took from the duel.

Yuya sighed a little, "I lost." He was a little disappointed that he still couldn't beat his brother even with Pendulum Summoning. Mikleo just made a sound like he was satisfied and then patted Yuya on the head momentarily.

"Yuya!" Yuya heard Yuzu's voice as he turned and saw Yuzu, Gongenzaka, Ruri and Rin all running towards him and stopped in front of him.

Yuya saw how worried they looked as he remembered what he yelled out earlier and had his head lower in embarrassment and shame, feeling bad for saying all of that. However, to his surprise, Yuzu pulled Yuya into a deep hug.

Yuya could hear Yuzu sniffling a little, "Yuya...I'm sorry. I...I didn't know you were in so much pain before. I'm sorry for being a bad friend. I'm sorry." She honestly felt ashamed of herself that she didn't see Yuya's pain earlier especially considering how much he means to her.

Yuya was a little bewildered, "Yuzu…" He honestly wasn't expecting her to react this much as he thought she might be still mad at him.

And then, to his surprise, Gongenzaka also joined in by hugging both Yuya and Yuzu with his large arms and, this time, it was a soft hug instead of the usual bone-crushing one. Gongenzaka had some tears in his eyes, "Please forgive I, the man Gongenzaka, for being there for you emotionally Yuya. I am also a failure as a friend."

Yuya then felt like crying from hearing his friends ask for forgiveness, "Yuzu...Gongenzaka…" He then felt Ruri and Rin joining in on the hug as well. While both of them didn't know what all three of them went through together, they still felt like wanting to support Yuya and helping him get back on his feet along with his friends who were their friends as well.

Yuzu gripped Yuya even tighter, "I want to be a better friend from now on. Whenever you feel sad, please you can always rely on me to keep you happy. I promise." She felt like crying even more as she was pouring more feelings from her heart.

From hearing that, Yuya then started sobbing a little as tears started coming out of his eyes. He was reminded of the pain he felt before but now it was started to melt away a little from his friends' feelings. He felt more happy than before on the inside because of all of his friends.

To everyone's confusion, Yuya backed away a little in order to get out of their hug. Yuya wiped the tears from his eyes and then had a sad look on his face, "No. I'm the one who should be sorry."

Yuya was now feeling a little more depressed, "I should have trusted you guys more with my feelings instead of expecting you to understand right away. I should have said something instead of letting it happen. I didn't know what to do before so I took the easy way out." He now understood what Mikleo was trying to tell him earlier as part of it was his fault for not saying anything about this to his friends, who he should have trusted more. He felt ashamed of himself for not doing anything different before.

However, to his surprise, Yuzu grabbed both of his hands with hers which made him look at her. She had a sweet smile on her face as her eyes looked a little teary, "We're all to blame for our mistakes. We were all little back then so we didn't know any better. But we're here for you Yuya so long as you trust us."

Yuya didn't know what to say since he was still surprised that Yuzu was still willing to forgive him for what happened before. Immediately then after, he now understood how precious his friends were to him especially when it comes to his life. Without them, he's not sure if he would be here right now.

Yuya then gripped back her hands and smiled brightly, "Thank you." Yuzu nodded happily in response.

Gongenzaka then got a little closer towards the both of them as he looked determined, "I am still at fault also for not being a good friend. So I will also be there for you Yuya no matter what! I give my word as a man!"

Yuya's smile grew bigger, "Yuzu...Gongenzaka…" He was lucky to have met such wonderful friends in his childhood.

"We're here you as well Yuya." Yuya heard Ruri's voice which him turn to look at Ruri and Rin who both have smiles on their faces.

Ruri then walked up and gripped her hands onto Yuya's, "I may not have been part of your childhood but you're my friend as well. Plus, I will always be grateful for you and Yuzu for giving me a home for the time being so I will support you as well."

Rin also walked up and placed her hands on Yuya's, "Same with me. I never give up on my friends just like Yugo. So I will be there as well Yuya."

Yuya was a little surprised but then smiled, "Ruri...Rin…"

Yuya then pulled all four of them into a group hug, "Thank you all so much." He now felt more happy and in ease with his emotions. The others accepted the hug with equal passion with all of them having smiles on their faces.

Mikleo had a small smile on his face, happy to see his little brother have such good friends. The kids had happy smiles on their face as well, seeing Yuya getting happy again. Shuzo had a satisfied smile on his face as well. Yoko, who heard everyone, smiled lovingly before leaving, feeling that she has no part to play in this scene and happy to see Yuya finally open up his heart. She looked at the ceiling, " _Yusho, I hope you're out there somewhere. Yuya's finally grown up into being a magnificent boy for the both of us."_

While still hugging each other, all five of them opened their eyes to look at each other. Yuya was smiling at all four of them with them returning the smiles, happy to see their feeling reached him.

However, something expected happened, Yuya's pendant blinked dimly for a second and there was a blue aura around Yuya's body that apparently no one can see. Yuya's eyes then glowed blue for a couple seconds before Yuzu, Rin, Ruri, and Gongenzaka's bodies all glowed blue for a second as well as their Decks. The light dimmed down and everything returned to normal in a few seconds.

Apparently, Yuya didn't see anything as he still had a smile on his face but Yuzu, Rin, Ruri, and Gongenzaka all looked confused by what they saw. They then had the same thought, " _Did Yuya's eyes...glow blue for a second?"_ They then shook their heads a little, thinking that it was nothing. Mikleo raised an eyebrow, wondering what might be troubling them a little.

Everyone then released the hug as Yuya looked at them, "Thank you for being supportive. I'll do my best of being a good friend as well!" They then nodded in joy and agreement.

Mikleo then placed a hand on Yuya's shoulder, which made him to turn to look at him. Mikleo gave Yuya a small smile, "Well little brother, looks like you're finally starting to grow up."

Yuya looked a little irritated, "Hey! I'm already grown up!" He pouted a little from Mikleo's statement, much to his amusement. The others chuckled a little from hearing that.

Yuya then realized something as he looked at Mikleo seriously, "Hey! Mikleo! Where did you get Pendulum Cards anyway?" He really wanted to know especially considering he couldn't have gotten them from LDS. The others looked at Mikleo, curious as well.

However, Mikleo just shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know what to tell you. All I know is that one day I had these cards in my Deck during one of our training sessions."

Yuya raised an eyebrow in confused, "Is that it?" He was thinking that there had to be more than that especially considering how he got Pendulum Cards himself.

Mikleo just calmly nodded his head, "Yeah. And I didn't know why and what these cards were so I couldn't train you with cards I had no clue about. So that was another reason as to why I stopped training you before."

Yuya was still suspicious, "Are you sure?"

Mikleo looked back at Yuya, "Yes, I'm sure."

As Yuya and Mikleo were "arguing" back and forth between what information was correct, everyone looked on with smiles at seeing Yuya passionate again.

Yuzu, however, thought of something as saw both Yuya and Mikleo, " _Yuya and Mikleo are both really strong."_ Her thoughts turned to her duel with Masumi and then had a look of determination on her face, " _I have to get stronger now. For both me and Yuya."_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HIRAGI RESIDENCE (NIGHTTIME)**

After around a hour, everyone left You Show as it was close to being nighttime and so much has happened in one day. Ruri and Rin were already asleep in their beds while Yuzu was in her pajamas, thinking about the recent things that had happened.

Yuzu was staring at her Deck, " _I wonder...maybe I need to learn the other summoning methods as well like Yuya. That might be a good start to go on."_ She then looked up at the ceiling, " _So much has happened with You Show being on the line, learning about Yuya's past with Reiji and learning how strong Mikleo truly is. What a day."_ With that in mind, Yuzu placed her Deck on her counter as she getting ready to go to bed.

However, she heard something fell and turned to look and see what it was. It seems a couple of her cards fell from her Deck as she didn't placed it correctly stacked.

Yuzu sighed a little, "Oh well, I'll have to pick them up." She then kneeled down to pick up her cards.

However, when she picked up all of her cards that were dropped, she flipped them to see what they were and her eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe what she seeing as it shouldn't be possible. She was so surprised as she recognized what cards they were but didn't know to say other than,

"...What? How can this be?"

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Time Chamber** (Continuous Magic) - Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 7 or below "Chronogear" monster from your hand or Deck but that monster cannot attack, its effects are negated and is banished during the End Phase.

 **Chronogear - Epistem Truth Dragon  
** (LV: 6, WIND, Dragon, ATK: 2400, DEF: 2200)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Special Summoned, reveal the top card of your Deck and, depending on what card it is, apply the following effects: • Monster: Banish it. • Magic: Add it to your hand. • Trap: Discard it to the Graveyard. When this card is banished, you can add 1 "Chronogear" monster from your Graveyard to your hand.

 **Chronogear - Volley Rabbit  
** (LV: 2, LIGHT, Beast, Tuner, ATK: 800, DEF: 600)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When you control a "Chronogear" monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand or Graveyard but banish it when it leaves the field.

 **Chronogear Arch - Extend Magnet Dragon  
** (LV: 8, EARTH, Dragon, Synchro, ATK: 2800, DEF: 2300)  
( _1 "Chronogear" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Chronogear" monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ Once per turn, during either players' turn, you can target 1 monster on the field; change its battle position. During your opponent's turn, all monsters your opponent controls lose 600 ATK. When this card is destroyed, banish it. When this card is banished, you can Special Summon it to your side of the field during your next Standby Phase.

 **Chronogear - Polymer Idea-Drone  
** (LV: 4, EARTH, Machine, ATK: 1300, DEF: 1500)  
 _Monster Effect:_ You can activate this effect when this card is in your hand or on your field: You can Fusion Summon a "Chronogear" Fusion Monster using this card and other monsters in your hand or field as Fusion Materials.

 **Chronogear - Ethos Jackal  
** (LV: 5, DARK, Fiend, ATK: 2000, DEF: 1900)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is banished, Special Summon it to your side of the field. Once per turn, you can target 1 "Chronogear" monster you control; increase or decrease the Level of that monster by 1. When this card is used Material for a Fusion, Xyz, or Synchro "Chronogear" monster, that monster gains 400 ATK.

 **Chronogear - Freeze Mantis  
** (LV: 6, DARK, Insect, Fusion, ATK: 2300, DEF: 2100)  
( _2 "Chronogear" monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ When this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any monster effects until the end of the Damage Step. Once per turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack, you can negate the attack.

 **Chronogear - Reform Eagle  
** (LV: 5, WIND, Winged-Beast, ATK: 1900, DEF: 1800)  
 _Monster Effect:_ You can banish 1 "Chronogear" monster from your Graveyard in order to Special Summon this card from your hand. When this card is banished, return 1 other banished "Chronogear" monster to your Graveyard.

 **Chronogear - Vision Sorcerer  
** (RNK: 5, LIGHT, Psychic, Xyz, ATK: 2200, DEF: 2600)  
( _2 Level 5 "Chronogear" monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ Once per turn, you detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; draw 1 card for every "Chronogear" monster you control. Once per turn, if a "Chronogear" monster(s) would be destroyed, you can pay 600 LP; that monster(s) isn't destroyed. When this card is destroyed, gain 400 LP for every banished "Chronogear" monster you have.

 **Transcendental Quantity Ritual** (Ritual Magic Card) - This card can be used to Ritual Summon any Ritual Monster from your hand by tributing monsters from your hand and/or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster you summon. If Summoning a "Chronogear" monster this way, you can also banish "Chronogear" monsters from your Graveyard.

 **Chronogear Arch - Metallic Phoenix  
** (LV: 8, FIRE, Winged-Beast, Ritual, ATK: 2600, DEF: 3000)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Ritual Summoned, return all Magic and Trap Cards to their owners' hands. When this card is destroyed, banish it. When this card is banished, you can Special Summon it to your side of the field during your next Standby Phase. When this card is Special Summoned by this effect, you can return 1 card on the field to the owner's hand.

 **Paradox Crossing** (Magic Card) - Special Summon 1 banished "Chronogear" to your side of the field.

 **Sacredragon Magician  
** (LV: 8, LIGHT, Spellcaster, ATK: 2400, DEF: 3000, PS: 7)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, if you control a "Magician" monster in your other Pendulum Zone: You can add 1 Ritual Magic from your Deck to your hand.  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Pendulum Summoned from your hand, you can destroy 1 card on the field. If this card is tributed for the Ritual Summon of a Dragon-type Ritual Monster, that Ritual Monster gains this effect: • When this card destroys a monster by battle, it can attack once again in a row.

 **Quantum Assistance** (Magic Card) - Banish 2 "Chronogear" monsters from your Graveyard; Special Summon 1 "Chronogear" monster from your hand.

 **Chronogear - Timebreak Dragon  
** (LV: 7, LIGHT, Dragon, ATK: 1800, DEF: 2700)  
 _Monster Effect:_ Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 banished "Chronogear" monster to your side of the field but banish it during the End Phase. Once per turn, when a Trap Card activates an effect that targets a "Chronogear" monster, you can negate that effect and destroy it.

 **Wickedragon Magician  
** (LV: 6, DARK, Spellcaster, ATK: 2000, DEF: 2100, PS: 1)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, if you control a "Magician" monster in your other Pendulum Zone: You can add 1 Level 5 or below Monster from your Graveyard to your hand.  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Special Summoned, you can add 1 Ritual Monster from your Deck to your hand. If this face-up card is tributed while it's on the field, you can target 1 face-up Monster on the field; that monster has its effects negated until the End Phase.

 **Cards of Essense** (Trap Card) - Destroy all "Chronogear" monsters you control and then draw 1 card for each "Chronogear" monster you destroyed.

 **Paradox Will** (Trap Card) - When an opponent's monster declares an attack against a "Chronogear" monster you control: Negate the attack. During the Battle Phase, if this card is the Graveyard and you control no monsters: You can banish this card and 3 "Chronogear" monsters from your Graveyard; end the Battle Phase and gain LP equal to the monster with the highest ATK on the field.

 **Chronogear - Sorcerer Magala  
** (LV: 5, LIGHT, Psychic, ATK: 1900, DEF: 1700, PS: 1)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, you can banish 1 card in your hand or field; draw 1 card.  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is Pendulum Summoned, or Special Summoned by the effect of a "Chronogear" card: You can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate the effects of the targeted card. If you take damage from a battle involving a "Chronogear" monster you control, you discard this card instead; then gain LP equal to the damage you would have taken instead. You can only use each effect of "Chronogear - Sorcerer Magala" once per turn.

 **Chronogear - Sorcerer Uluru  
** (LV: 4, DARK, Psychic, ATK: 1500, DEF: 1000, PS: 9)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, you can reduce battle damage you take from a battle involving a "Chronogear" monster you control to 0.  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is Pendulum Summoned, or Special Summoned by the effect of a "Chronogear" card: You can target 1 Set card your opponent controls; destroy it. When a "Chronogear" monsters(s) you control would be destroyed, you can discard this card instead. You can only use each effect of "Chronogear - Sorcerer Uluru" once per turn.

 **Chronogear Arch - Chronologic Cyborg Dragon Helios  
** (LV: 8, FIRE, Dragon, ATK: 3000, DEF: 2500, PS: 6)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, when you take battle damage, you can Special Summon one banished "Chronogear" monster to your field.  
 _Monster Effect:_ This card cannot be targeted by the opponent's card effects. Once per turn, during either players' turn, you can target 1 monster on the field; that monster loses 500 ATK and DEF. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this effect's activation. When this card destroys a monster by battle, you can banish 1 card on the field. When this card is banished, Special Summon it to your side of the field during your next Standby Phase.

 **Chronogear Arch - Ironhammer Colossus  
** (LV: 8, EARTH, Machine, ATK: 2500, DEF: 3200, PS: 4)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ During your opponent's turn, you can target 1 "Chronogear" monster you control: Switch it's battle position. When a Level 5 or above "Chronogear" monster you control is destroyed by battle, you can Special Summon this card from your Pendulum Zone. You can only activate each Pendulum Effect of "Chronogear Arch - Ironhammer Colossus" once per turn.  
 _Monster Effect:_ Once per turn, when a "Chronogear" monster you control destroys an opponent's monster by battle, inflict 800 damage to your opponent. When a "Chronogear" monster you control attacks a monster in defense position, inflict piercing damage during damage calculation. Once per turn, when this Pendulum Summoned card is in Defense Position, you can target 1 monster you control: that monster can attack your opponent directly this turn.

 **Chronogear Arch - Armor Jet Dragon  
** (LV: 8, LIGHT, Dragon, ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, PS: 5)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, you can declare a Pendulum Scale from 1 or 9; this card becomes that Pendulum Scale, also you cannot Special Summon for the rest of the turn, except "Chronogear" monsters (even if this card leaves the field).  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Pendulum Summoned, it gains 500 ATK and DEF. If this card attacks while you have 3 or more face-up "Chronogear" monsters in your Extra Deck, your opponent cannot activate card effects until the end of the Damage Step. Once per turn, if you Special Summon a "Chronogear" monster from your Extra Deck, except by Pendulum Summon: You can banish 1 "Chronogear" monster from your Graveyard, then target 1 card your opponent controls; place that target on the bottom of the opponent's Deck.

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime, and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **Well, that was an emotional rollercoaster. I hope ya'll like the fact of how the fact of Yuya was keeping his true emotions hidden deep inside and the fact that his friends now want to support him even more.**

 **In response to Mekyaku's question, yes, Mikleo's deck is mostly based on the Chrono cards from Vanguard G, which I don't own. I wanted to give Mikleo a sort of unique deck and when I saw the cards from Vanguard, the idea came into play. At the very least, I hope ya'll like the concept of Mikleo's deck. The archetype of Chronogear is technically time-based but it is also about metaphysics as well among other things. From his ace, I also took some inspiration from some of Revolver's monsters.**

 **So some of you might know what exactly is going with their cards in the next chapter if you have the right mindset. For the next chapter, all I will say is that, in my opinion, this should have happened in the anime. Regardless, it will be very interesting moving forward.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Angel's Grace -** While trying to figure out what happened to their cards, Yuzu, Ruri, Rin and Gongenzaka ask both Yuya and Mikleo to teach them some things. Then soon after, Yuzu runs into someone that forces her to use these cards...

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	11. Angel's Grace

**Yes, yes I made it kinda obvious that Yuya "gave" Yuzu and the others Pendulum Cards. I wanted to do this ever since I first started this story and I couldn't be happier. Because, honestly, in the anime, the only people I can recall that fully utilized Pendulum Summoning was Yuya, Reiji, Dennis and Shingo. Maybe Serena and Gongenzaka but that's about it. So I wanted to give more Pendulum support not just for Yuzu but for a lot of other people as well. I hope y'all like this change as well.**

 **Thank you to everyone who sent messages and reviewed the last chapter; here's some of my responses:**

 **ThePLOThand - Thanks for the review. I will agree that maybe I could arrange the flashbacks a bit better like maybe I should have spread them out a bit more. Honestly, I kinda wanted to get most of it out of the way in one go instead of separating them into different parts and interrupting the duel every time. Probably could have done better, but it is what it is. And I am very glad that you like Mikleo a lot cause I wasn't sure if a lot of people would like him or not.**

 **Yuka Kuroshiro - Thanks for the comment. I appreciate it :)**

 **Thetiger39 - Well, I'm not much of a baseball fan but I do understand some of the pressure. Hopefully you'll like this chapter. Otherwise, thanks.**

 **Mekyaku - Here's the thing, all of the chrono cards will probably have the same appearance. Depending on the name, there's a small chance I might have to change it a little but otherwise most of them will have the same name as well. Otherwise, thanks.**

 **Kingjeremy134 - Haha. Maybe.**

 **By the way, in case some of y'all might be interested, this is what I consider Mikleo's dueling theme to be like:** " _ **Black Bullet OST - Crisis Point (Ascension)"**_ **and this would his theme whenever he declares Final Turn:** " _ **Black Bullet OST - Crisis Point (Descension)"**_ **.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11 - Angel's Grace**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HIRAGI RESIDENCE (MORNING)**

Yuzu woke up around a few minutes ago and was looking through her deck again to see if it wasn't a dream. She saw that a lot of her cards were now Pendulum Cards as they were orange with green at the bottom just like Yuya's. She was really shocked when she first saw and thought that it was just a dream so she decided to see if it was true or not in the morning. Now that she's seeing them again, she's not sure what to think.

She looked down at her cards at wonder, "How did this happen?" She was thinking about what could have happened that might have done this and then remembered that when she was holding on to Yuya, he was glowing blue for a second along his eyes before dimming down.

She had a look of realization on her face, "Could Yuya have done this somehow?" While it somewhat didn't make sense, it also made sense since she knew that her cards were normal before and after the duel with Masumi. She didn't check her deck until the night after Yuya's duel with Mikleo so the timing would make sense as well. She was still confused, " _But...how could Yuya do something like this?"_ She was getting really confused since there's something going on that maybe she doesn't know about. She looked at her deck, " _Maybe Yuya might know what's going on…"_

Before she could think further, she heard a knock on her door. She turned and heard a voice, "Yuzu, can we come in?" That was Ruri's voice that she heard. Yuzu walked up and opened the door to see both Ruri and Rin with conflicted expression on their faces.

Yuzu was confused as to why Ruri and Rin looked that way, "What's wrong?"

Ruri and Rin looked at each other for a few seconds before nodding in agreement. Rin looked at Yuzu, "...We need to show you something." Yuzu, while a little confused, nodded and let the both of them into her room then closed the door. The three of them were sitting on Yuzu's bed in order to talk.

Rin reached into her pocket and took out her deck to show Yuzu, "Here, take a look at some of my cards." Yuzu grabbed Rin's deck and proceeded to look at her cards. She was looking at them for a few seconds before spotting something expected: Pendulum Cards. Yuzu's eyes widened in shock by the revelation: Rin also Pendulum Cards like herself.

Yuzu wasn't sure what to say, "Pendulum Cards…" She thought she was the only one that had this "problem" even though it wasn't exactly a problem but it did cause more confusion.

Rin nodded in response. Just then, Ruri took her deck and showed it to Yuzu as well, "It is the same for me." Yuzu then looked at Ruri's cards and, sure enough, she also has Pendulum Cards as well. This meant one thing: somehow all three of them had some of their own cards changed into Pendulum Cards.

Yuzu looked at the both of them with wonder, "So your cards changed as well…" Both Rin and Ruri tilted their heads in confusion before taking a second to realize what she was saying and then their eyes widened in surprise as well. Yuzu nodded and showed to them that she also has Pendulum Cards as well. Both Rin and Ruri were surprised that they weren't the only ones that had this happen to them.

Yuzu looked down a little as she processed this information, "So we all have Pendulum Cards?"

Rin looked at her cards, "I guess so." While she was confused, she will admit to herself that it is kind of cool that she now has her own Pendulum Cards as she only saw them with Yuya, Reiji and Mikleo. From seeing Yuya Pendulum Summoning and being really amazed by it, she is honestly a little curious as to what she could do with these cards when it comes to dueling. Although one thing is for sure, when she gets home, she couldn't help but smile a little, knowing that Yugo will be jealous that she has these type of cards in her Deck and not him.

Ruri also looked at her own cards, "Yeah." She was also confused as to how this happened but, at the same time, she was thinking about what possibilities could happen now that she has her own Pendulum Cards. She was pondering something, " _I wonder...maybe these cards might give me a better chance to help my friends and Heartland."_ She wondered that maybe that they might help her fight better against her enemies from Fusion but she isn't sure since she doesn't exactly know everything about Pendulum Cards. Otherwise, she isn't exactly complaining that she has them now.

Yuzu looked at the both of them curiously, "Do either of you know how this happened?" She wondered if maybe the same thing happened to the both of them as well.

Rin and Ruri were both looking down at the ground, seeming pondering something in their minds. Rin then raised her head with a confused look on her face, "I don't know exactly. All I know is that when I woke up, I looked at my deck and they were just...there." That was basically the best explanation she could give as she doesn't know how it happened either.

Ruri nodded in agreement, "Yeah. The same thing happened to me as well." When she woke up, all of a sudden, she saw that some of her cards were also changed into Pendulum Cards.

Yuzu was looking at her deck as she was pondering something, "I see." She then looked at Ruri's deck and noticed something else besides Pendulum Cards in her deck: there were also black cards in her deck as well. She then remembered that black monster cards are also referred as Xyz Monsters. She looked at Ruri surprised, "Ruri, you have Xyz Monsters?"

Ruri jumped a little in surprise but then remember that she is technically showing her entire deck, silently scolding herself for her mistake, and reluctantly replied with a nervous smile, "Y-Yes. I do have Xyz Monsters."

Rin looked at Ruri curiously, "Really? Can I see them?" She honestly wanted to see what Xyz Monsters looked like close up as she has only seen them on the field.

Ruri looked at Rin, a little hesitate, before nodding in approval, "Sure." She took some of her Xyz Monsters including Assembly Nightingale and showed them to both Rin and Yuzu.

Rin looked at her cards with interest, "So these are Xyz Monsters." She could see that it was definitely a black card and had black and yellow stars at the top which she assumed that it was the Rank of the monster. It was definitely different that looking at a monster's Level which was red and yellow. Rin looked at Ruri with a smile, "They do look pretty cool."

Ruri smiled happily, "Thank you." While she wasn't really planning on revealing that she possesses Xyz Monsters, she is sorta happy that she could get that off her chest and it helps that both Rin and Yuzu like her Deck. She just honestly hopes that revealing them won't cause any trouble for any of them.

Yuzu then looked at Ruri with confusion and curiosity, "Why haven't you said before that you have Xyz Monsters, Ruri?" She was wondering why exactly Ruri hasn't said anything about her Deck. She said that she dueled Yuya and lost to him, but she hasn't really said what her deck was either. She could have asked Yuya but she thinks it would have been better to ask her in person.

Ruri looked a little more nervous as she rubbed the back of her neck, "Well...I just kept forgetting. There were times I wanted to but I never really had the chance." She was telling somewhat the truth, but honestly there were some chances she could have told them but if they found out before that she has Xyz Monsters and knows how to Xyz Summon then there's a slight chance that Sora might find out as well. Ruri lowered her head in slight regret, "I'm sorry."

Yuzu waved her hand around a little, "No, no. It's alright. I understand that we had a lot happen to us these past few days." She could kind of understand why Ruri couldn't say anything before although she could see that Ruri was a little hesitate in her answer, making it seem like there was also something else. She decided not to pry more as she still feels like Ruri can't say anything to them right now.

Ruri nodded her head happily, "Thank you, Yuzu."

Yuzu nodded in response, "Yeah." She then looked at Ruri's cards and noticed that all of her cards were bird monsters which looked honestly pretty cute. She looked at Ruri with curiosity, "You like dueling with birds, Ruri?"

Ruri nodded happily, "Yeah." She then took her deck back from Rin and looked at it, "Birds are cute. They're friendly creatures once you understand them. I feel at ease and happy when using them." She looked up at the ceiling, "Sometimes I feel like I'm floating when dueling as me and my birds like to fly freely in the air."

Yuzu was a little surprised, "Wow. That's...so deep." She could honestly see that Ruri really loves her deck just like Yuzu loves her own.

Rin smiled at Ruri, "Yeah. It's almost similar to how I feel about my witches." She then took out her deck to look at it, "With my monsters, they almost remind me of the cool breeze and rush of speed I get when riding my duel runner. They also make me feel at ease." She then sheepishly rubbed her back of her head, "That and they're magical beings which kind of represents the girl inside of me."

Yuzu smiled a little, "I see." She then took out her deck lastly and looked at it, "When I was little, I used to listen to a lot of music and sing along as well. It made me really happy when I got a deck that represents music and dancing plus I like using these monsters since they're also very pretty." All of them smiled happily, each of them knowing their own reasons for using these type of decks.

After around a few seconds, Yuzu realized something, "Hey, why don't we talk to Yuya about this? Maybe he knows why this happened." She was thinking that all of them go talk to Yuya since she thinks he might be the reason they all have Pendulum Cards but it was just a suggestion.

Ruri was pondering for a moment before nodding, "Yes, I think we should." She was honestly thinking of the same thing Yuzu was thinking since she believes Yuya might know how this happened especially considering that she saw Yuya's eyes glowing for a couple seconds which neither one of them know what that was about.

Rin nodded in agreement, "I agree as well." While they're at it, she was thinking maybe Yuya could also tell us how exactly these cards work. They might have seen Yuya use them in his duels but there might be some other stuff they aren't aware yet.

With all of three of them having the same mindset, after around half of an hour, they ate breakfast and went towards You Show to talk to Yuya.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN LOCATION**

 **LDS (#1) LP: 4000** → **0  
** **LDS (#2) LP: 4000** → **0  
** **LDS (#3) LP: 4000** → **0**

 **SHUN: WIN  
** **LDS: LOSE**

Three teachers of LDS were laid out on the ground, groaning in minor pain from the injuries of the duel. Shun was glaring at his down opponents as he said how defeated they look.

They were in an unknown alleyway and Shun happened to come across some members of LDS who were investigating the disappearance of Marco. Shun saw who they were and challenged them to duel, demanding for answers as to Ruri's whereabouts. Neither one of them knew what he was talking about but they figured that he might be the one of was responsible for Marco's disappearance so they accepted the duel. Sadly, Shun was proven too skilled for the LDS members to handle.

Yuto was nearby, watching from the sidelines with a frown on his face. He was also trying to see if LDS has any answers as he couldn't find anything about either Yuya, Yuzu, or Ruri. He sighed a little, a little disappointed to see his best friend like this, knowing that it is because of his sister's disappearance.

Shun walked up to the LDS members, who were still lying on the floor exhausted. Shun narrowed his eyes and grabbed the collar of one of the members to pick him up off the floor. Shun glared at the man, who looked intimidated to see Shun like this.

Shun was upset as he held the man up, "I'm going ask you one more time...Where is Ruri?" He was demanding that this man tell him some answers as there has to be someone with answers to Ruri's whereabouts.

The man was choking a little and frightened, "I...I told you...We don't know any Ruri…"

Yuto, who heard what he said, sighed in disappointment and looked away while frowning having a sad expression on his face. He knew what was about to happen next. He didn't like it but it is how they live their lives for now. War can change people and both Yuto and Shun are no exceptions.

Shun narrowed his eyes even more, looking even more angry but then he seemingly calmed down a little. He released his hold on the man which made him land on the floor. He looked the three men with a stern expression, "Then we have no need of you." He then pressed some buttons on his duel disk for a few seconds. Before all of three of them, one of them was screaming as they turned purple before disappearing into particles. From where the three men were, there were cards on the floor that had the exact same people on them. Shun had just turned the three men into cards using his duel disk. Shun picked up the cards and looked at them with narrowed eyes.

Yuto walked up to him with a stern expression, "Shun. I understand how you feel but I think you're being more reckless than before."

Shun turned to look at Yuto with narrowed eyes, "Yeah, so what? How you forgotten that LDS might be our enemies as well?"

Yuto seemed a little hesitate to answer, "Well...that might not be the case." Since his duel with Sawatari, Yuto was beginning to think that maybe LDS isn't in fact their enemy as well since that guy seem to have no clue as to what Yuto was talking about. Either there are only specific people in LDS who know exactly what's going on or nobody in LDS is in fact their enemy. However, they do know that Reiji Akaba, the Professor's son, is in fact the President of LDS so they can't discount that fact either.

Shun wasn't willing to back down, "Regardless, someone has to know my sister's whereabouts."

Yuto looked at Shun with an upset expression on his face, "But...I told you before that LDS could also be innocent! You shouldn't have to drag other people into this if they're not involved!" While he understand Shun's frustration and that he values Ruri as much as Shun, he shouldn't believe innocent people should get hurt because of their recklessness.

Shun glared at Yuto as he grabbed his shoulder hard. Yuto stared back at Shun, not backing down from him either. Shun was getting more frustrated as he held up a fist, "You better believe that they are involved! If my sister is indeed here, then someone must know something! I refuse to sit by while my sister could be out there!" He was getting frustrated by the fact that Yuto is seemingly trying to stop him from both stopping potential enemies and the fact that he could be getting crucial information as to Ruri's whereabouts from someone.

However, to Shun's surprise, Yuto punched him in the stomach while he was narrowing eyes at him. Shun's eyes widened in surprise as he grunted in pain a little from the punch he received. Yuto then released his fist from Shun and walked back a little while Shun was recovering a little from the punch by holding his stomach.

Yuto gave Shun a serious look, "I told you to calm down Shun!" Seeing as Shun wasn't listening to reason because of his rage, he had to punch him in order to get to come to his senses.

As Shun stopped holding his stomach and recovered from the blow, he narrowed his eyes at Yuto, reluctantly willingly to listen to what he has to say.

Yuto looked at Shun, "I understand that you want to find Ruri. I do too. But if we get too reckless, then it might cause a lot of consequences. We have to be smart about this."

Shun narrowed his eyes, "I am being smart about it. I'm trying to get more of LDS' attention so Reiji Akaba can reveal himself." He was thinking that maybe if he keeps attacking members of LDS, Reiji, the Professor's son, would eventually get involved and he could finally get some answers as to Ruri's whereabouts.

Yuto looked at Shun a little sympathetically, "But there's also the chance that LDS might not be involved with Academia at all. So we might be dragging innocent people into this as well." He was hoping that Shun would listen to reason as he's so desperate to find his sister.

However, Shun turned his back and walked away before saying, "I will find Ruri no matter what it takes. I will take on anybody in order to see her." With that said, he walked away from Yuto's sights.

Yuto frowned and sighed while seeing Shun walk away, "Shun…" He could see that Shun was being a little unreasonable all because he wants to see his sister so badly. As far as he could tell, since Ruri has been missing for some time, Shun has been more reckless and impulsive ever since. It is understandable since he misses Ruri so badly and considering what happened to their home before.

Yuto looked at the ground as he gathered his thoughts. Neither one of them has made any progress as to where Ruri is or where this Yuya or Yuzu are either. Shun decided to take the more aggressive way into finding Ruri while Yuto was sneaking around the city, trying to find any information about either one of them.

Yuto was looking down at the ground a little, " _When we do find Ruri, I hope at least Shun will finally calm down a little."_ He then looked everywhere around him, " _I just need to find out where exactly this Yuya or Yuzu live and then maybe I can also find out where Ruri is as well but I don't know where to start."_ He then looked at the streets, " _Oh well, no point in thinking about it much. I'll just try to do what I can right now."_ With that in mind, Yuto walked away from the alleyway while trying not to bring much attention to himself.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION (REIJI'S OFFICE)**

Reiji was in his office staring at the city from the large window behind his deck, thinking about the past things that have happened concerning both Yuya and Marco's disappearance.

He heard a door opening and then a voice speaking, "Mr. President." Reiji turned around to see Nakajima walking towards him while holding a tablet.

Reiji looked at Nakajima, "Any progress on Marco's whereabouts?"

Nakajima shook his head, "Unfortnately, we haven't been able to find anything else about the incident since yesterday." Reiji closed his eyes and nodded a little in response.

Nakajima then showed his tablet, "But we were able to gather some information on the people you requested, Mr. President." Reiji took the tablet and scrolled through the information on it. It showed the pictures and some information about three girls he has seen before: Yuzu Hiragi, Ruri Kurosaki, and Rin.

While Reiji was looking at the images, Nakajima explained, "It is as you suspected. According to her personal information, Yuzu Hiragi was born an only child and somewhere along the way, it appears that both she and her father adopted Ruri Kurosaki and Rin. Even though they shouldn't technically be siblings, we still don't have any clue as to why they have the same face."

Reiji raised his head to look at Nakajima, "Anything else?" Nakajima then gestured for Reiji to turn to the next page which he did. It shown some images of Yuya, Ruri, and Rin as Nakajima continued, "We appear to have no data as to where these two girls came from in the first place as there is no record of either of them being born in Maiami City although it appears that they arrived some time after Yuya Sakaki's duel with Strong Ishijima because we have records of him dueling both Ruri and Rin around the time they showed up."

Nakajima then looked at Reiji seriously, "There was also something else about their duels." Reiji raised his head in curiosity as Nakajima continued, "From our records, we have also detected some strong summoning energy from both of their duels including both Ruri and Rin. It was more dueling energy than the average LDS student produced similar to Yuya Sakaki."

Reiji narrowed his eyes as he looked at Nakajima, "What summoning methods did they use?" He expected that Yuya had Pendulum Summoned which cause a huge burst of energy; however, hearing that Ruri and Rin also caused strong dueling energy to appear as well peaked his curiosity.

"It appears that Ruri Kurosaki was using Xyz Summoning while Rin was using Synchro Summoning. Both girls produced strong dueling energy when they performed these summoning methods."

Reiji then seemed to be pondering something, "Xyz and Synchro…" As he thought about Marco's disappearance and how these two girls produced strong summoning energy, he realized something as he narrowed his eyes at the tablet, " _So it is now begun…"_

Reiji raised his head to look at Nakajima as he gave him back the tablet, "Continue to investigate and see if you can find out anything else about these two."

Nakajima lowered his head and nodded, "Yes, Mr. President." With that said, he turned around and walked away from Reiji.

Reiji then turned to look outside from his office as he pondering something, " _To think that Yuya actually forced me into a tie…"_ He then held out a hand and looked at it, " _I wonder, perhaps he might be one of the duelists we'll need in the upcoming battle."_ He then thought about those two girls, " _Ruri Kurosaki and Rin...Perhaps they might be both from the Xyz and Synchro Dimension…"_ He then sat down in his chair to look up some stuff on his computer, " _We'll just have to wait and see what happens next."_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Yuya was on the couch showing Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi how Pendulum Summoning works among other things. All four of them had smiles on their faces as the kids were excited to see how this summoning method works and Yuya was happy to teach them.

Mikleo was in the garage working on something that was covered by a white sheet although it looked like it was in the shape of a motorcycle. He had a toolbox near him and he was using a wrench in his hand as you can hear noises inside the garage.

Meanwhile, Shuzo was checking on the status of the Solid Vision System in order to see if it was still working properly and, to his joy, it still is working perfectly.

Yuya was smiling as he placed some cards on the table in front of him, "So if I use the Scale 3 Entermate Gold Fang and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I can now Pendulum Summon monsters with levels between 4 and 7."

Futoshi looked at Yuya's cards curiously, "What about Pendulum Monsters that Level 3 or below? Do they just stay in there?" He was really curious if there's anything you can do for monsters you can't Pendulum Summon if you don't have the correct Pendulum Scales.

Yuya chuckled a little, "Well, not unless there's an effect I can use or if I have the correct Pendulum Scales. Otherwise, they just stay in there." Futoshi nodded in understandment.

Tatsuya looked at Yuya curiously and excitedly, "Big Bro Yuya, is there any changes to Pendulum Monsters going to the Extra Deck with the other summoning methods?" He was really curious if Pendulum Monsters still go to the Extra Deck if used for summoning methods such as Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Ritual especially since they weren't destroyed.

Yuya then smiled excitedly, while not expecting that question, he was happy to answer it, "Well, you see…"

However, before he could continue, he heard a door open and then Yuzu's voice shouting, "Yuya!" He turned his head and saw Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin entering You Show. All of them walked over to Yuya, looking like they want to say something important.

Yuya, a little confused as to why these three had faces like that, stood up to look at them, "Hey girls. What's up?" He was curious if there was something wrong or not.

Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin looked at each other for a few seconds before nodding in agreement. Ruri stepped forward and said, "We need to ask you a favor."

Yuya raised an eyebrow in confusion, "A favor?"

Rin nodded, "Yeah, we need to show you something." However, before the three girls could do anything else, they heard the door slam open.

They turned their heads to see Gongenzaka with a hasty look on his face, "Yuya!" He then walked over to Yuya albeit a little faster than normal.

Yuya looked at Gongenzaka, "Gongenzaka?" Now, he was also confused as to why Gongenzaka looked like he really needed to say something to him.

And then, to everyone's surprise, Gongenzaka got on his knees and bowed at Yuya, "I, the man Gongenzaka, need to request a favor from my best friend!" Everyone was taken aback a little by how Gongenzaka was willing to beg just for a favor.

Yuya looked a little overwhelmed and sweatdropped as he trying to process all of this, "W-What is going on?" Now he was lost as to both the girls and Gongenzaka were requesting something from him. He was really curious as to could possibly be the favor they needed.

* * *

After talking it out for a couple minutes, everyone went inside the duel arena of You Show in order to talk. The three girls and Gongenzaka were standing in front of Yuya and Mikleo, who had his arms crossed, while Shuzo and the kids were listening and watching from a couple feet away.

Yuya looked at them, "So what's this about? What do you all need to talk to me about?"

Before the girls could talk, Gongenzaka stepped forward and brought some of his cards, "Take a look at some of my cards." He really needed to show Yuya this especially since it might concern him. The girls were a little surprised by how Gongenzaka wanted to speak first but then didn't mind and waited their turn.

Yuya raised an eyebrow in confusion before grabbing Gongenzaka's cards to take a look at them. He was looking at them for a few seconds before noticing something about them. His eyes then widened in shock as he realized what these cards were, "W...What…?" He raised his hand to get a closer look at them to see if he wasn't seeing things.

Mikleo, curious as to what might be troubling Yuya, decided to get closer to him in order to look at the cards as well and, when he saw them, he was a little surprised as well.

Gongenzaka, sort of expecting that reaction, just nodded while looking a little serious while the girls were curious as to what Yuya is seeing that made him so surprised.

Yuya raised his head to look at Gongenzaka for a second before looking at his cards again, "These are...Pendulum Cards." It was indeed true as some of Gongenzaka's monsters are now indeed Pendulum Cards as they are orange with green at the bottom. Yuya was surprised as he was wondering how exactly this was possible. Mikleo, while still a little surprised, looked at both Yuya and the cards in curiosity.

The girls heard what Yuya just said and were surprised, "What?" All of them were surprised as to they weren't the only ones who were affected by this.

The kids also heard what Yuya said and were shocked with Futoshi, "Pendulum Cards?" Ayu followed, "Gongenzaka has Pendulum Cards?"

Yuya then flipped the cards in his hand in order to show that he was telling the truth. Gongenzaka does indeed have Pendulum Cards, making them even more surprised.

Yuzu looked at Gongenzaka with wonder, "You too, Gongenzaka?" Gongenzaka turned to Yuzu in confusion, wondering what she meant by that with the others turning to her as well. Yuzu then took out her cards and show them to everyone else as well. Some of them were also Pendulum Cards that were Yuzu's cards, shocking everyone even more. Rin and Ruri then took out their own cards and showed everyone that they had Pendulum Cards as well.

Gongenzaka looked at the three girls bewildered, "You three got them too?" He really he was the only one that had this happen to him but this just makes it more strange.

Yuya was really surprised as he really wasn't expecting this, "So all four of you got Pendulum Cards?" Now he was really confused as to how this exactly happened. First, Reiji and then Mikleo got Pendulum Cards; now, all four of his friends mysteriously have Pendulum Cards as well which begs the question as to where exactly they came from in the first place.

Shuzo was both shocked and curious as he went over to Yuzu, "Did you really get Pendulum Cards?!" Yuzu nodded in response and showed them so he could get a closer look, confirming that they are indeed Pendulum Cards.

After around a couple minutes of talking, everyone then realized that Gongenzaka, Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin somehow received their own Pendulum Cards sometime after the incident with LDS, most likely during the night.

Yuya had a hand to his chin as he was pondering something, "So, do any of you know how this happened?"

Ruri shook her head, "Not really. All we know is that they somehow ended up in our decks after your duel with Reiji."

Gongenzaka looked at Yuya, "I was training in the Gongenzaka Dojo this morning when I noticed that my deck was different and then I saw I had Pendulum Cards. I was beyond shocked." Gongenzaka could imagine the shock he felt when he saw that he had his own Pendulum Cards and, not really sure what to make of it, went to Yuya to see if he had any answers.

Yuzu walked up to Yuya with a curious expression on her face, "Yuya, we were thinking that maybe you somehow gave us Pendulum Cards. Do you remember anything yesterday?" She wanted to say that maybe he knew something about why his eyes were glowing earlier before. At first, she thought she was seeing things, but that's the only thing that comes to mind when it comes to when exactly she received Pendulum Cards.

Yuya was a little surprised and confused, "Yesterday?" He then had a hand on his chin as he had a thinking expression on his face, " _Did I really give them Pendulum Cards somehow?"_ He was trying to recall if something strange happened after his duel with Mikleo and, after a few seconds, he vaguely remembers something, " _Come to think of it, my chest did feel it was on fire for a couple seconds but I don't think that has anything to do with this situation…"_

However, after around a minute of thinking, he began to remember another thing that happened to him. It was when he had the strange dream during his duel with Strong Ishijima and then his cards transformed into Pendulum Cards. His eyes widened a little in realization as he recalled some of the words that strange voice said to him.

" _You have been chosen to wield a great new power...Those gifted with the Pendulum acquire new powers. And you have been chosen as the new wielder…"_

As he recalled the memory, he narrowed his eyes a little, " _I wonder...could this be what she was talking about earlier?"_ He had no idea if this is what that voice meant or not so he didn't know what to make of it.

After a lot of thinking, he removed his hand from his chin to look at Yuzu and the others, "...I have no idea. I'm not entirely sure if I had anything to do with this or not."

Yuzu sighed a little in disappointment, "I see." She was a little disappointed that Yuya doesn't know anything about it so there goes that theory. The others looked a little disappointed as well but then nodded in understanding as Yuya might not know all of the answers.

Ayu walked up to Yuzu and looked at her excitedly, "Big Sis Yuzu, can I see your Pendulum Cards?" Tatsuya and Futoshi then followed up by walking to them with excited smiles on their faces, both wanting to see new Pendulum Cards as well.

Yuzu was a little surprised but then smiled at the kids' excitement. She then showed some of her own Pendulum Cards to the kids and they looked at them with amazement.

Futoshi smiled at Yuzu, "That's so cool!" Tatsuya looked at Yuzu, "Now, you can Pendulum Summon like Big Bro Yuya!"

Yuzu giggled a little as she smiled, "I guess so." They are right. She can now Pendulum Summon like Yuya which honestly excites her a little bit.

Yuya, while still a little taken aback, looked at Gongenzaka curiously, "So, is this is the favor you needed Gongenzaka? To see if I had something to do with you having Pendulum Cards now?" He was a little curious if that wasn't the only thing Gongenzaka as it seemed like he needed something else.

Gongenzaka shook his head, "Well, there's that but also…" Then, to Yuya's surprise, Gongenzaka bowed at Yuya again, "I, the man Gongenzaka, request that you please teach me how to use these Pendulum Cards!"

Yuya stepped back a little in surprise, "T-Teach you?" He honestly wasn't expecting this either and didn't know how to respond yet.

However, before he could respond, Ruri stepped forward with a pleading expression on her face, "That's another reason we needed your help, Yuya."

Rin nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Even though we all saw you Pendulum Summon, there might be some mechanics that we don't know about when it comes to Pendulum Cards."

Yuzu looked at Yuya with a pleading expression as well, "As long as we have Pendulum Cards, we might as well use them when we get the chance. Yuya, will you please teach how Pendulum Cards work exactly?" All of four of them could see that they have the same mindset and then decided to request for Yuya teach them all he knows about Pendulum Cards.

Yuya, even though he was still surprised, couldn't help but smile a little as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Geez guys…" He never thought that his friends would request him to teach them some things and he couldn't help but feel a little honored to help his friends like this. It does make sense as he saw that, in case they might not understand fully about Pendulum Cards, they wanted him to teach them all he can so they don't make a lot of mistakes if they decide to use them in a duel.

With that in mind, Yuya smiled at his friends passionately, "Okay. I'll do it!" His friends were then happy that Yuya was willing to teach them.

Shuzo was getting fired up as he raised a fist, "Alright! I feel hot-blooded!" Seeing the passion in Yuya's eyes brought out the burning soul in his heart. It was that and also the fact that You Show now has more duelists that can use Pendulum Summoning. While the kids sweatdropped a little from Shuzo's excitement, honestly felt really joyful at the fact that they're now going to witness Yuya teaching the others how Pendulum Cards work and couldn't wait to see it.

Gongenzaka, Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin all nodded and said, "Thank you so much!"

Yuya smiled happily and nodded at seeing his friends' gratitude. He then turned to look at Mikleo, "Mikleo, would you mind helping me out with teaching them? You have experience with Pendulum Cards." Even though Mikleo refused to give out more clear answers as to how he got them yesterday, he still needs Mikleo to help him as he could see that Mikleo figured out most of the mechanics already.

Mikleo looked at Yuya, wondering if he was serious or not and, from seeing his brother's expression, he could tell that he was serious. Mikleo wasn't really much of a teacher as he doesn't have the passion for like Shuzo does which is another reason why he decided to keep quiet about his other summoning methods. From seeing his brother asking for help made it hard to say no.

Mikleo sighed a little in frustration before scratching the back of his head to think for a few seconds. After the time passed, he turned to Yuya, "...Sure. I'll help." Yuya smiled from seeing his brother willing to help him out.

With that in mind, over the next couple of hours, Yuya and Mikleo began showing how Pendulum Cards would work many scenarios. Yuzu, Gongenzaka, Ruri, and Rin were all listening with interest and then soon after starting practicing those moves as well.

* * *

As time passed, all four of them eventually started to get used to how these cards work in a duel and how they can take advantage of them.

However, just as it was time for teaching to be over, Yuya's eyes widened in realization and hit a hand in his fist as he just remembered something, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" From hearing Yuya shout out like that, the others turn to him wondering what's up.

Yuya smiled excitedly at them, "I also need to tell you how Pendulum Summoning can taken advantage of with the other methods." He honestly really wanted to say this ever since he discovered it himself.

The others looked both curious and confused as to what Yuya was talking about with Rin speaking, "What do you mean?"

"Well, if you remember, Pendulum Monsters that are destroyed go to the Extra Deck face-up. However, by using the other methods, they can also be placed in the Extra Deck without being required to be destroyed."

Yuya then to Rin with a smile, "For example, Rin, if you Synchro Summon using a Pendulum Monster as Synchro Material, that Pendulum Monster is automatically placed in your Extra Deck after use it as Material."

Rin was a little surprised by this information but then had a look of realization, "That means...if I were to do exactly that, I can bring back that Pendulum Monster almost after I just Synchro Summoned." She had no idea that was another advantage when it comes to Pendulum Monsters and couldn't help but feel excited to try that out sometime in the future.

From hearing that, Ruri then looked at Yuya excitedly, "Does the same work with the summoning methods?"

Yuya, knowing Ruri was wondering if the same thing worked with Xyz Monsters, smiled a little sheepishly, "Well, the same does work with Ritual and Fusion Summoning but if the Pendulum Monsters are in your hand, then they're sent to the Graveyard instead. Basically, if you use them as Material or a Tribute, they have to be on the field in order to place them in the Extra Deck." The others, who were listening, nodded in response and took in everything that Yuya just said.

Yuya then had a sad smile on his face, "Unfortnately, I think Xyz Summoning is the only method that doesn't send Pendulum Monsters to the Extra Deck." From hearing that, Ruri frowned a little in disappointment, honestly wanting that advantage to her deck as well.

Futoshi looked a little confused, "What do you mean?"

Yuya looked at the others, "Well, when you use monsters as Xyz Material, they're used as Overlay Units for the Xyz Monster. And what do you do with the Overlay Units in order to use the effects of the Xyz Monster?"

Tatsuya then had a look of realization, "They're automatically sent to the Graveyard…"

Yuya nodded, "Exactly. And Pendulum Monsters are treated no differently. If a Pendulum Monster is used an Overlay Unit, it gets sent to the Graveyard." Everyone else was a little impressed that Yuya knows all of this, thinking he must have done a lot of practice with his monsters in order to get all of this information

Ruri then nodded in understanding, thinking that it made sense, " _Well, I guess it is no different from how I use my monsters normally. I can work with that."_ Even though she might not have the advantage Rin has, she'll figure out a way to work around it.

Yuya smiled a little at the others, "Alright. I think I've done all I can for you all so that's enough teaching." Yuzu, Ruri, Rin, and Gongenzaka nodded in understanding, happy to finally learn of all of this stuff.

Tatsuya looked really amazed after hearing all of that, "That was amazing, Big Bro Yuya."

Yuya sighed a little and then sheepishly smiled, "Yeah, I guess so. I was just doing what I can."

Ayu then pulled Tatsuya out of the arena, to his surprise, "Come on, Tatsuya. Big Bro Yuya probably need his rest." Tatsuya then nodded a little in understanding, "O-Okay." Futoshi then followed after the two of them. Shuzo, a little proud of Yuya being a teacher, smiled as he walked out of the arena to check on something in the control room.

Seeing as how teaching was over, Yuya saw this as a good opportunity as he turned to Ruri, "Hey Ruri, how about we get started on helping you find Yuto?"

Ruri was a little surprised by Yuya's question as she kinda forgot about that, "...Oh, right now?" She was still a little hesitate on the chance of her friends in You Show meeting Yuto even though she appreciates the offer.

The others then had a look of realization as they have also kinda forgotten about promising to help Ruri look for her friend Yuto. Since they had to deal with LDS yesterday, they couldn't focus on helping Ruri but now they can.

Yuya nodded, "Sure. Why not? We promised to help you Ruri and that's what we're going to do." The others, except for Ruri, smiled and nodded in agreement.

However, Mikleo turned to Yuya, "Actually, I got to get back to working on something in the garage so I won't be able to help you right now." He then turned to walk towards the garage.

Yuya was a little surprised and confused, "In the garage? Working on what?" What could Mikleo be possibly be working on?

Mikleo waved his hand in a nonchalant gesture, "That's for me to know and you to find out later." Mikleo then left the arena and out of plain sight for anyone to see.

While a little curious by what Mikleo is up to, Yuzu turned to look at Ruri, "Ruri, we're friends. We're here to help you whenever we can and that includes helping you find your friend." She wasn't just saying that to show Ruri that they really intend to help her but also it is to show her that she could trust them more and, hopefully, she might be more talkative about her problems in the future.

Ruri looked away a little, "Well…" She was trying to decide if she should say no or not. If she did, they would wonder why exactly she doesn't want their help. From seeing how determined they were, she sighed a little and then smiled sweetly, "Alright, let's do it."

Everyone else yelled out, "Yeah!" They then proceeded to exit out of the building and split up in order for each of them to search the city. However, Ruri stayed behind a little to look at the ceiling for a moment, " _It seems I can't stop them. I just hope nothing bad will happen because of this."_ While trying to be optimistic about this, she then walked away from You Show into the direction of the city.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN ALLEYWAY**

Yuzu was looking around the city whether it was alleyways, buildings, or streets but she hasn't found any luck yet. After around a few minutes of searching, she came across this one alleyway that had apartments around the area behind these big buildings.

She looked back and forth around the area to see if Yuto was around. She not only wanted to find him for Ruri's sake but she also had some questions that she needed to ask him regarding what happened a couple days ago.

"Ahhh!" Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise as she heard a scream and then ran off to the direction of where that voice came from. She turned around from a corner to see what was happening. She saw that it was there were four people in the area: a tall overweight teenage boy, two kids in which one was a boy and one was a girl, and a middle aged woman with light blue long hair. The woman and the teenager had their duel disks out except it appeared that the boy was on his back, meaning they had a duel and the woman won the duel.

The woman looked at the boy with narrowed eyes as he got up. He looked a little frightened and then ran off while shouting, "You'll pay for this someday!" Soon after, he was out of sight with Yuzu wondering what just happened.

The woman sighed tiredly, "Honestly, don't these boys have anything better to do?" She then turned to look at the kids with a smile, "Are you little ones alright?"

The little boy nodded, "Thanks miss!" The little girl also nodded with a happy smile, "Thank you for saving us!"

The woman nodded, "You're welcome. Now, run along or else your parents will be worried sick." The two kids nodded and waved goodbye as they ran out of the alleyway.

The woman then heard someone walking nearby and turned to see a pink haired girl looking at her. She was a little surprised, "Oh! I'm sorry. Who are you?"

Yuzu smiled a little, "I'm Yuzu Hiragi. I was just watching what you did for those kids. It was very nice miss." She could see that the lady was protecting those kids from that bully which is a little common lately, more usual than ever for some reason.

The woman smiling sheepishly, "Why thank you Yuzu. And please call me Hikaru." She felt a little happy that she was being praised by this one girl that she just met. Yuzu nodded in response.

Hikaru kneeled down a little and looked at Yuzu curiously, "Say, what's a young girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Yuzu was a little surprised about the question before answering, "Oh...I'm looking for someone. He's a boy that has black and purple hair and wears dark clothing. Have you seen anyone like that?"

Hikaru had her hand on her chin to think for a second, "Hmm...No, I don't think so. I never saw anyone like that."

Yuzu sighed while feeling a little disappointed, "I see."

Hikaru stared at Yuzu for a few seconds before looking at Yuzu a little confused, "You're a duelist aren't you?"

Yuzu was a little surprised, "What?" How did she know that?

Hikaru giggled a little, "Yeah, I can tell by how you look. Especially since I see that you have a duel disk in your pocket." Yuzu looked at saw that it was easy to tell since her duel disk took up most of her pocket space and it was kinda obviously.

Hikaru then narrowed her eyes in confusion, "However, I can also tell that you seem troubled by something. Something involving your friends maybe?"

Yuzu now looked even more surprised and wasn't sure what to say, "How did you…?"

Hikaru smiled a little sympathetically, "Sweetie, I've been a duelist for a long time. I went through a lot of struggles and emotions. And you have the same troubled look on your face similar to how I used to deal with a lot of stuff as a duelist." She doesn't know why but this girl kinda reminds her of when she was young as a duelist and she could see some of the emotions going through this girl right now.

Yuzu looked down at the ground as she was about what Hikaru just said. She hated to admit it but she was a little troubled by that fact that both Ruri still doesn't seem to want to talk and the fact that Yuya is more skilled than she knew, she felt envious of him. She felt happy for Yuya as she thinks he'll eventually reach pro status at this rate but she also feels like she's being left in the dust a little.

Yuzu was a little hesitate to answer, "Well...maybe…" She doesn't know if she should talk about it or not especially with someone she just met.

Hikaru could see the hesitation on this girl's face and sighed, "Oh well…" She then smiled and brought out her duel disk, "In case, Yuzu, why not have a duel with me?"

Yuzu looked at her in surprise, "What?" Was she actually serious? Why would she want to duel with her?

Hikaru had a confident smile on her face as she pointed at Yuzu, "I could you're having trouble facing your problems so why not show me your resolve as a duelist? Show me what kind of duelist you want to be for yourself and your friends." She was trying to encourage Yuzu to accept her challenge plus it could interesting as she hadn't had a fun duel in years since she retired.

Yuzu, once again, seemed a little hesitate, " _I just recently got Pendulum Cards. Even though Yuya taught how to use them in combos and such, I haven't actually try them out in a real duel so do I take this chance?"_ She then looked at Hikaru confused, " _Why is so determined to get me to accept? Is she trying to tell me something?"_ She was then thinking about what would Yuya do and she smiled, " _Well, I know what Yuya would do so let's do this."_

Yuzu steeled her resolve as she looked at her opponent, "Alright. I accept your challenge!" Yuzu then activated her duel disk, ready to begin their duel.

Hikaru seemed pleased by Yuzu accepting, "Excellent, sweetie. Now then, I should warn you, back in the day, I was quite good in tournaments."

Yuzu seemed unfazed by that, "No problem. I'll show you how good am I as well!" Hikaru smiled a little before narrowed her eyes, ready to get started as well.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUZU LP: 4000  
** **HIKARU LP: 4000**

Yuzu placed her fingers on her deck, "I'll go first! Draw!" She then took a card from her hand, "I activate the Magic Card: 1st Movement Solo! This allows me to Special Summon a Level 4 or below "Melodious" monster from my hand or Deck since I control no monsters."

She then took a card from her deck, "I Special Summon Baila the Melodious Diva (ATK: 1300, **DEF: 1700** , LV: 4)!" Baila was brought out to Yuzu's field.

"When Baila is Special Summoned, I can add 1 "Melodious" monster from my Deck to my hand." Yuzu added another card to her hand.

She showed another one in her hand, "When I control a "Melodious" monster, I can Special Summon Canon the Melodious Diva (ATK: 1400, **DEF: 2000** , LV: 4)!" Yuzu summoned a blue haired, purple female monster that wearing a masquerade mask, a dress with many different shades of purple, and pink sleeves on the design.

"Next, I Normal Summon Serena the Melodious Diva (ATK: 400, **DEF: 1900** , LV: 4)!" A third monster was brought out which was a pink and light purple haired female that was wearing a drop waist dress that was red and golden on the design. She was also wearing yellow and orange underneath while having one purple angel wing on her back.

Yuzu placed a card in her duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

Hikaru seemed a little intrigued by Yuzu's monsters, "Oh? Looks like you use Fairy monsters as well. Then this will be interesting." She was now getting more excited as to how this duel will get better overtime.

"My turn, draw!" Hikaru looked at the card she drew and then had a small smile on her face.

She placed a card in her duel disk, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Castle of the Gods - Valhalla." A castle room appeared behind Hikaru which also resembled a king's room with the ceiling open to the heavens.

"Valhalla's effect allows me to Special Summon a Fairy-type monster from my hand, once per turn, when I control no monsters." She then smiled as she showed a monster, "So now I Special Summon Athena ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 800, LV: 7)!" Hikaru summoned a monster that somewhat resembled a goddess with long silver hair that was wearing a white dress while wielding a spear-like staff and a shield.

She showed another card, "I Normal Summon Freya, Guide to Victory (ATK: 100, **DEF: 100** , LV: 1)!" She then brought out a female girl that was wearing dark purple outfit while having red rings around her ankles and wrists and was carrying pom-poms in her hands.

Hikaru pointed at Athena, "Athena's monster effect! When another Fairy-type monster is summoned, it inflicts 600 damage to my opponent!" Athena unleashed a small light blast from her staff towards Yuzu, who was taken aback a little from the sudden blast.

 **YUZU LP: 4000** → **3400**

"As long as Freya is on the field, all Fairy-type monsters I control gain 400 ATK and DEF." As soon as she said that, Freya started dancing around and cheering which gave everyone of Hikaru's monsters more power.

 **Athena** ( **ATK: 2600** → **3000** , DEF: 800→1200)  
 **Freya, Guide to Victory** (ATK: 100→500, **DEF: 100** → **500** )

"Next, I activate the Continuous Magic: Coat of Justice." A flying golden saucer appeared above Hikaru's field that was also producing a small column of light.

"With Coat of Justice's effect, I'm allowed to Special Summon another Fairy monster from my hand, once per turn, since I control a Level 1 Fairy." She then looked at Freya, "Freya is Level 1 which means I'm allowed to Special Summon Angel Knight Perseus ( **ATK: 1900** → **2300** , DEF: 1400→1800, LV: 5)!" The beam of light summoned an angelic knight that was wearing blue and yellow armor that was covered in white angel wings and was also wielding a sword.

Hikaru held out her hand to Yuzu, "Athena's monster effect activates again! When another Fairy-type monster is summoned, it inflicts 600 damage to my opponent!"

 **YUZU LP: 3400** → **2800**

Yuzu, once again, was taken aback, " _She's not holding anything back and she hasn't even attacked yet."_ She had a feeling it was going to get worse for her as this duel goes on.

Hikaru smiled at she pointed at Yuzu, "Battle! Angel Knight Perseus attacks Baila the Melodious Diva!" Perseus charged forward as Hikaru continued, "When Perseus attacks a monster in Defense Position, it inflicts piercing damage!" As she was done, Perseus slashed through Baila, destroying her. The damage made Yuzu cross her arms in front of her to shield herself.

 **YUZU LP: 2800** → **2200**

"When Perseus inflicts battle damage, I draw a card." Hikaru drew a card and added it to her hand.

"Athena attacks Canon the Melodious Diva!" Athena then charged forward and stabbed Canon with her staff and destroying Canon.

Hikaru placed a card in her duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." She then looked at Yuzu, "Now then, show me your resolve Yuzu. Let's see what you've got."

Yuzu, not really knowing why Hikaru was doing this, steeled her resolve, "My turn, draw!" She looked at the card she drew and her eyes widened in surprise, " _A Pendulum Monster…"_ It was indeed a Pendulum Monster as she stared at the card, " _I guess it is time to give these cards a try. Let's hope I will be able to pull it off."_ She then looked at her other cards, " _I can't Pendulum Summon right now so I'll need to try something else."_

"First, I tribute Serena in order to Tribute Summon Laureate Francois the Melodious Maestra ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1700, LV: 7)! Serena's effect allows itself to counted as 2 monsters when tributing to summoning a Fairy-type monster." Serena vanished from the field and, in exchange, a light-green curly haired, purple female singer appeared on the field that was wearing a dress with different shades of purple with a collar around her neck. She had a transparent piano keys that were in front of her as she was playing them and she also had butterfly wings on her back.

However, Hikaru pointed at Athena, "Athena's effect activates again! Since a Fairy-type was summoned, you take 600 damage!"

 **YUZU LP: 2200** → **1600**

"Laureate Francois' monster effect! Once per turn, I can add 1 Fairy-type monster from my Graveyard to my hand." Yuzu added Baila back to her hand.

Yuzu took a card from her hand, "Next, I activate the Continuous Magic: Melodious Appropriation!" The card appeared on Yuzu's field as she continued, "Once per turn, I'm allowed to Special Summon a Level 4 or below "Melodious" monster from my hand or Deck by discarding a card."

She discarded a monster to the Graveyard and took another one from her Deck, "I Special Summon Ballet the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 1100, LV: 4, PS: 7)!" Yuzu brought a female yellow monster that wearing a pink ballerina outfit, purple high heels, a silver tiara, and orange bracelets on her wrists.

However, Hikaru smiled calmly, "I activate the Counter Trap: Great Horn of Ascension! I can activate this when my opponent Special Summons during her Main Phase. The summoning is negated and that monster is destroyed!"

Yuzu was taken aback, "What?!" As soon as she said that, Ballet was destroyed almost immediately as soon as she got onto the field. Since the summoning was negated, Athena couldn't activate her effect.

Hikaru looked at Yuzu, "Also, due this effect, the Main Phase is ended and you get to draw a card."

Yuzu narrowed her eyes a little as she drew a card, " _That means I have to conduct my Battle Phase right now…"_ Yuzu then had put her Pendulum Monster into the Graveyard because her summoning was negated.

However, Hikaru interrupted her, "Oh, by the way, as long as I have another Fairy-type monster on my field, you can't target Freya for attacks."

Yuzu then looked a little concerned, " _That means I can't attack this turn. She outplayed me."_ She has to admit: Hikaru is better than she looks especially from someone of her age. She could attack Perseus but she didn't want to risk destroying her own monster in exchange.

Yuzu, reluctantly, looked at the ground, "I end my turn."

Hikaru could see the disappointment on Yuzu's face and looked at her in curiosity, "What are you trying so hard for?"

Yuzu looked confused, "What?"

Hikaru closed her eyes, "I can see that you're struggling with something that involves dueling. It seems like you're trying hard to impress somebody. Why is that?"

Yuzu was very surprised and didn't know what to say, "Well…" Was she really trying to impress someone? She didn't feel like she was trying to but, if she had to guess, maybe she was trying to impress Yuya and You Show to show them what she can really do as a duelist. Was she really letting it bother her that much?

However, Hikaru continued, "Not only that, but I could see that you're also struggling so hard to search for something...personal."

Yuzu now looked more confused, "What?" What she talking about now?

Hikaru didn't say anything other than when she placed her fingers on her deck, "My turn, draw!"

Hikaru placed a card in her duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Trading Deals. Now, I can send up to 3 Continuous Magic Cards on my field and then draw a card for each one sent." Valhalla and Coat of Justice went sent to the Graveyard which allowed Hikaru to draw 2 cards.

Hikaru pointed at Perseus, "Next, by sending Angel Knight Perseus to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Angel Brave Neo-Perseus ( **ATK: 2300** → **2700** , DEF: 2000→2400, LV: 7) from my hand!" A larger version of Perseus was brought onto the field as the old one vanished. Due to another Fairy monster being summoned, Athena's effect activated again.

 **YUZU LP: 1600** → **1000**

Hikaru pointed at Yuzu, "Battle! Neo-Perseus attacks Laureate Francois!" Neo-Perseus unleashed a beam of light of his armor that went towards Laureate.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes as she pressed a button on her duel, "I activate the Trap Card: Cibell's Dance! Now, my "Melodious" monster cannot be destroyed by battle this turn and the damage I take is halved!" Thanks to her trap, Laureate took the blast but wasn't destroyed.

 **YUZU LP: 1000** → **800**

"When Neo-Perseus inflicts battle damage, I draw a card." Hikaru drew a card and added it to her hand.

"I continue with Athena attacking Laureate Francois!" Athena charged forward and slashed Laureate with her staff but she wasn't destroyed and, thanks to her trap, Yuzu only took half of the damage.

However, Yuzu was waiting this chance as she held up a card, "I send Score the Melodious Diva to activate her monster effect!" She then sent it to the Graveyard, "When a "Melodious" monster I control battles an opponent's monster, I send this card to the Graveyard to reduce the ATK and DEF of my opponent's monster to 0!"

 **Athena** ( **ATK: 3000** → **0** , DEF: 1200→0)

As Athena got weaker, she had no choice but to continue charging forward and then attempted to slash Francois but she wasn't fazed by it. Athena was then destroyed as she got blasted by Francois' musical notes.

 **HIKARU LP: 4000** → **1700**

Hikaru raised an eyebrow as she impressed, "Oh? Not bad." She was a little impressed that Yuzu managed to save herself as she would have used Athena's effect to end the duel right then and there. Yuzu sighed a little in relief as she's glad that she had Score in her hand.

Hikaru placed a card in her duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." She looked at Yuzu, "I'll admit that you're better than I thought but I don't think I'll lose to someone who doesn't know what exactly she wants in dueling."

Yuzu looked really confused and a little irritated, "What?"

Hikaru had a curious expression on her face, "Tell me something, Yuzu. What exactly is your reason for being a duelist in the first place? What do you duel for?"

Yuzu looked a little surprised, "My reason for dueling?" She then stared back at Hikaru with resolve in her voice, "I duel for the sake of You Show and making people enjoy dueling just like Yuya."

Hikaru looked a little amused especially when she heard Yuya's name, "Yuya? Must be someone special if he's influenced your dueling a little." She then had a sad smile on her face, "However, that's from your friends. What about yourself? What do you want?"

Yuzu's eyes widened in confusion, "Huh?" She was confused as to why Hikaru was asking her these questions and then she asked what exactly made her want to become a duelist in the first place. She honestly had never thought much of it other than wanting to duel like her friends when she younger. Yuzu looked a little uncertain, " _I...What do I want?"_ Her thoughts then turned to Yuya, Ruri, and the rest of You Show. She was reminded of the memories she's had with them and got her determination back.

Yuzu looked at Hikaru curiously, "Why are you asking me these questions?"

Hikaru had a sweet smile on her face, "Maybe you'll find out, if you beat me in this duel."

Deciding not to answer her questions right now, Yuzu began her turn, "My turn, draw!" Yuzu pointed at her face-up card, "First, I activate the effect of Melodious Appropriation! By discarding a card, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below "Melodious" monster from my hand or Deck!" She sent a monster to the Graveyard and showed a card in her hand, "I Special Summon back Baila the Melodious Diva ( **DEF: 1700** ) from my hand!" Baila was brought back to Yuzu's field.

Yuzu held out her hand, "I activate Contralto the Melodious Songstress' effect! When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I gain 800 LP!" The card she sent was Contralto which gave Yuzu more LP.

 **YUZU LP: 800** → **1600**

Yuzu pointed at Baila, "When Baila is Special Summoned, I can add a "Melodious" monster to my hand." She added a card to her hand and then showed it, "When I control a "Melodious" monster, I can Special Summon Sonata the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1200** , DEF: 1000, LV: 3) from my hand!" Sonata was also brought out to Yuzu's field, thanks to her effect.

"Since Sonata was Special Summoned, as long as it is on my field, my "Melodious" monsters gain 500 ATK and DEF!"

 **Laureate Francois the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 2300** → **2800** , DEF: 1700→2200)  
 **Baila the Melodious Diva** (ATK: 1300→1800, **DEF: 1700→2200** )  
 **Sonata the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 1200** → **1700** , DEF: 1000→1500)

Yuzu pointed at Laureate, "I activate Laureate Francois' monster effect! Once per turn, I can add a LIGHT Fairy-type monster from my Graveyard to my hand." Yuzu added Contralto back to her hand.

Yuzu showed one other card in her hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Singer's Anchor! Since I have 2 or more "Melodious" monsters on my field, I can draw 2 cards!" Yuzu then drew two cards from her deck.

Yuzu pointed at Baila, "I activate Baila the Melodious Diva's monster effect! In exchange for this card being unable to battle this turn, another "Melodious" monster on my field gains Baila's ATK! I choose Laureate Francois!" Baila began singing which made aura appeared around her, giving power to Francois.

 **Laureate Francois the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 2800** → **4600** )

Hikaru was taken aback a little, "4600 ATK?" That was enough to take out her life points.

Yuzu held out her hand toward Hikaru, "Battle! Laureate Francois attacks Angel Brave Neo-Perseus!" Laureate Francois began playing her piano keys which caused musical notes to go straight towards Neo-Perseus.

Hikaru narrowed her eyes as she pressed a button, "I activate the Trap Card: Graceful Light! When a LIGHT monster I control is attacked, the damage inflicted to me is halved during this battle!" Just as she said that, Neo-Perseus was then destroyed by Francois only she took half of the damage thanks to her trap.

 **HIKARU LP: 1700** → **750**

Hikaru looked at Yuzu, "Then, I can Special Summon a LIGHT monster from my Graveyard that whose Level is lower that the one destroyed. I bring back Angel Knight Perseus ( **ATK: 1900** → **2300** )!" Perseus was brought back to the field after his larger form was destroyed.

"Then I gain LP equal to half of Perseus' ATK!" Perseus was glowing white as he gave Hikaru some of her life back.

 **HIKARU LP: 750** → **1900**

Yuzu frowned a little, seeing as she couldn't finish the job, "I end my turn." She reluctantly ended her turn as there wasn't anything she could do right now. Since it was the end of the turn, Baila's effect ends as well.

 **Laureate Francois the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 4600** → **2800** )

Hikaru looked at Yuzu, "You still haven't answered my question. What do you want to be as a duelist? Why do you looked troubled?" She could still that Yuzu was hesitating in her answer and then gave her a look like she was telling Yuzu that she could trust her.

Yuzu saw the look Hikaru was giving her and still hesitated, "Well…" She really doesn't know how to answer it since she doesn't exactly know what she's dueling for. She was trying to recall what made her decide to duel in the first place and then one memory came to mind.

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL_

 _Flashback (8 years ago)_

 _A young Yuzu and Yuya were sitting on a bench in the arena of You Show with the both of them talking to each other. Yuya was wearing green shorts and red shirt while Yuzu was wearing a pink dress._

 _Yuya looked excited, "Hey, Yuzu? Our parents are awesome duelists!"_

 _Yuzu smiled happily, "Yeah! I love watching them duel all of the time." The both of them like talking about their parents since they always made their duels exciting to watch._

 _Yuya then turned to look at the ceiling with a smile on his face, "Just you wait. I'm going to become as great as my dad and help people have fun while dueling!"_

 _Yuzu smiled at seeing her best friend's excitement, "I know you can, Yuya." She was happy for Yuya finally deciding to get started as duelist._

 _Yuya then looked at Yuzu with curiosity, "What about you, Yuzu? What do you want to be as a duelist?"_

 _Yuzu was a little surprised and confused, "Huh? Uh…" She hadn't really thought much of it other than her father dueling which made her want to duel as well. Deciding not to think much of it, she smiled at Yuya, "I'm...going to be the same as you! I'll bring connections to duelists and make them have fun as well!" She decided to just go with it as she didn't want to say that she doesn't exactly have an answer although she wasn't lying either._

 _Yuya looked a little surprised but then smiled confidently, "Well then, I'm sure we'll both be great duelists along the way!"_

 _Yuzu nodded happily, "Yeah!"_

 _Flashback End._

* * *

Seeing that memory brought a smile to Yuzu's face but she was also thinking, " _Thinking back then, I wasn't exactly lying when I told Yuya that I wanted the same thing as him. Sure, I want to have people have fun in dueling as well but...is that really all I want?"_ She now wasn't sure why she decided to think about this but then thought about Yuya again, " _Maybe...I want to be as strong as Yuya. I don't want to be left behind but…"_ She doesn't know why, but there was something else that bugged her and her thoughts turned to Ruri. She looked at the ground, " _I know Ruri has her secrets. And I can see that Ruri trusts us but...why is it that I'm not satisfied especially if I can Ruri hesitating a little…"_

She's not blind. She could see that Ruri has been hesitating sometimes in her answers, almost like she's trying to be careful of what she is saying. But of what?

" _...people...Yuzu…"_ Her eyes widened a little in surprise as she thought she heard something. It was a voice that was soft and quiet. She looked around to see who it was but there was no around except for Hikaru, who looked confused by what Yuzu was doing. Yuzu then decided that maybe she was imagining things.

Yuzu looked at Hikaru, a little uncertain, "It's...hard to say but...I have a friend who I feel that trusts me but won't talk about her problems. And I have another who I found out was a way better duelist than I can imagine and...I can't help but feeling left behind in the dust. I don't know what to do with either of them." She finally decided to pour out some of her frustrations that she was feeling for a while. She doesn't know why she decided to tell someone she literally just met but, she to admit, it felt a little nice.

Hikaru was looking at Yuzu for a few seconds, trying to decide what to say to that. She then smiled a little, "Well, I can't exactly tell you what to do for your friend that's a strong duelist. That's something for you to decide. However, as for your friend who won't talk…" She then narrowed her eyes a little, "...maybe you're thinking this the wrong way."

Yuzu looked at her in confusion, "Huh? _What does she mean by that?"_ She doesn't know what Hikaru is referring to.

Seeing as Yuzu was still confused, Hikaru decided to not say anything else and began her turn, "My turn, draw!" She smiled a little as she saw the card she drew and then played it, "I activate the Ritual Magic: Hymn of Blessing!"

Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise, "Ritual?!" She was caught off guard as she wasn't aware that Hikaru knew how to Ritual Summon.

Hikaru showed a Ritual Monster in her hand, "I tribute Freya, Guide to Victory and Angel Knight Perseus on my field!" A corridor that looked similar to a holy church appeared behind Hikaru as both monsters turned into spheres of light that went inside a door which then opened.

"Princess of the dragons that was gifted with light! Arise from your slumber, give blessings to everyone, and shine your magnificent wings around the world! Ritual Summon! Arise, Level 6! Dragon Princess Deity - Saffira ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2400, LV: 6)!" Hikaru summoned a blue female dragon that wearing golden armor around her waist, arms, chest, shoulders, and on the outside of her wings. She was wearing a valkyrie-type helmet on her head which covered some of her face except her green eyes. She had golden, brown hair flowing down her back and her wings looked more an angel's since it had feathers and were thinner than normal dragon wings. If anything, she looked more humanoid and angelic than an actual dragon.

Yuzu looked a little amazed, "A Ritual Monster…" She was honestly amazed by how pretty this monster looked and couldn't help but gaze at it a little.

Hikaru gave Yuzu a sympathetic smile, "Yuzu, if you say your friend still trusts you, then why do you think she won't say anything?"

Yuzu looked a little surprised by the question and then was pondering something, "Why? Well…" She hadn't really thought of it much other than there must have been a reason as to why Ruri hasn't said anything.

Hikaru closed her eyes, "Sweetie, I may not know what you have been through but I've lived long enough to know that sometimes friends don't say anything so they wouldn't be bothered by their problems. Can I say the same thing for your friend?"

Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise as she hadn't considered that, " _Could that be true?"_ She then looked at the ground, " _Does...Does Ruri not want to say anything so I wouldn't be bothered by her own problems? Was she just trying to protect me or something?"_ If that was really true, what is Ruri trying to protect them from? She honestly doesn't have an answer for it but it does make more sense the more she thought about it. However, that still left her with some questions that needed answering.

She looked up and saw that Hikaru was looking at her with a smile as she said, "Well, that's just a suggestion anyway. I can't speak for your friend." She then pointed at Saffira, "Battle! Saffira attack Laureate Francois!" Saffira charged forward toward Francois while she was glowing.

Yuzu was confused, "Huh? But Francois has more ATK." Saffira only had 2500 ATK while Laureate Francois currently has 2800 ATK so why is she attacking?

Hikara, however, then had a confident smile on her face as she showed her last card in her hand, "I send Honest from my hand to the Graveyard to activate its monster effect!" She then sent Honest to the Graveyard as she continued, "When my LIGHT monster battles, I can send this monster to the Graveyard to have Saffira gain ATK equal to my opponent's monster's ATK!"

 **Dragon Princess Deity - Saffira** ( **ATK: 2500** → **5300** )

Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise as she didn't expect this. Hikaru still smiled as she pointed at Saffira, "Now, Saffira! Finish this! Maitri Spirit!" Saffira glowed even brighter as she was closer to Francois who tried to counter with musical notes but to no avail.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes as she knew she was about to lose this duel if she doesn't do something. She looked at her hand and saw that one card could help; she then showed it, "I send Minuet the Melodious Diva from my hand to the Graveyard and the damage I take is halved!" She sent her monster to the Graveyard just as Saffira's attack connected and destroyed Francois.

 **YUZU LP: 1600** → **350**

Hikaru looked mildly impressed that Yuzu managed to avoid losing the duel and smiled, "Well done, I end my turn." Since it was the End Phase, Honest's effect end as well.

 **Dragon Princess Deity - Saffira** ( **ATK: 5300** → **2500** )

She then pointed at Saffira, "At this moment, Saffira's monster effect activates! Since this monster was Ritual Summoned this turn, I can choose one out of three effects to activate during the End Phase. And I choose the one where I add a LIGHT monster from my Graveyard to my hand." She returned Honest to her hand and showed it briefly to Yuzu.

Yuzu frowned a little as she saw Honest in her hand again, " _So that means if I attack Saffira next turn, she can counter with Honest again."_

Hikaru looked at Yuzu with a curious smile, "So Yuzu, what are you going to do now? Are you going to continue questioning how your friends do things around you or are you going to do something about it?" She was trying to make Yuzu see that she can make her own decisions as a person and as a duelist; she wanted to see her resolve.

Yuzu looked at Hikaru for a few seconds before closing her eyes to think. She was thinking about Yuya: about how strong he has become and how she couldn't catch up to him during that time. Then, she thought about Ruri: how they have become close friends since they first met and how they trust each other. She then thought that maybe Ruri was trying to not let them worry about her but that only frustrated her more. She wants to help Ruri no matter what because she is her friend. She then made her decision.

Yuzu opened her eyes as she then had a look of determined, "I will become a strong duelist like Yuya! I will bring connections and happiness to people with my dueling! I can create harmony with my monsters and show my feelings to people! I will also trust in Ruri no matter what! Even if she pushes me back, I will keep supporting her!" She doesn't know if she needed to yell but she had to get her point across.

Hikaru had a satisfied smile on her smile on her face, " _There's the answer I was looking for."_ She was happy that Yuzu found her resolve and wondered what she was going to do with that resolve.

Yuzu, still looking determined, started her turn, "My turn, draw!" She played the card she drew, "I activate the Magic Card: Pot of Greed which means I draw 2 cards from my Deck!"

She then drew 2 cards from her Deck and looked at them. She showed one of them, "I activate the Magic Card: Melodious Callback! I add 2 "Melodious" monsters from my Graveyard to my hand!" Yuzu added Ballet and Minuet back to her hand.

Yuzu looked at her hand and smiled, " _Alright, I got all I need. Time to give this a shot!"_

Yuzu showed two cards in her hand, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 Minuet the Melodious Diva and Scale 9 Contralto the Melodious Songstress!" Yuzu placed both monsters in the Pendulum Zones and they both appeared on the field.

Minuet was a green haired, yellow female monster that was wearing a red beret and an orange shirt dress around her waist. She was wearing white gloves and white, dancing high heels on her feet. She also had butterfly wings on her back that were purple on the outside and yellow on the inside.

Contralto was a yellow haired, orange female monster that was wearing a green empire dress and had a black choker on her neck.

Yuzu looked at her monsters, "With this, I can now summon monsters with Levels between 3 and 8 at the same time!"

Hikaru looked confused by what Yuzu was doing, "What is happening?"

"Musical melody songs that reach people's hearts! Awaken to this new power to perform more graceful voices! Pendulum Summon!"

Yuzu held up three cards in her hand, "Appear, my beautiful singers!" Three monsters appeared from the portal, "From my hand, Ballet the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1700** ), Violeta the Melodious Maestra ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 1900, LV: 7, PS: 4), and Pendulum Mozart the Melodious Maestra ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 2000, LV: 8, PS: 5)!" Ballet appeared back on the field along with two other monsters. The second one that came out was a purple haired female monster that was wearing a light pink dress and was holding a violin in her left hand. The third one that appeared was Prodigy Mozart who looked the same as before except with some differences: she had blue gems on the chest area of her dress and her wings were more blue instead of green.

Hikaru looked a little amazed by what she saw, "Pendulum Summon…" She had never seen this before in her life.

Yuzu was smiling happily as she looked at her monsters, " _I did it...I actually Pendulum Summoned!"_ She was finally happy that she can Pendulum Summon just like Yuya and was ready to put it to the test.

Yuzu pointed at one of her monsters, "Violeta's monster effect! She gains 100 ATK for every "Melodious" card I control!" Since Yuzu had Melodious Appropriation, her two Pendulum Cards, and five monsters on her field on her field, Violeta gained 800 ATK.

 **Violeta the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 2500** → **3300** )

Yuzu smiled as she pointed at Minuet, "I activate Minuet the Melodious Diva's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, one monster on my opponent's field loses 300 ATK for every "Melodious" monster I control!" Since Saffira was the only monster on Hikaru's field and Yuzu had 5 "Melodious" monsters, Saffira lost some strength from Minuet's effect.

 **Dragon Princess Deity - Saffira** ( **ATK: 2500** → **1000** )

Yuzu held out her hand, "Battle! Pendulum Mozart attacks Dragon Princess Deity - Saffira! Graceful Song!" Mozart waved her baton like before but she also started singing which made the blast even larger and more noticeable as it was light blue.

Hikaru looked at Yuzu curiously, wondering what she was doing, before smiling confidently and showing Honest, "I don't what you're planning but did you forget? I can send Honest to the Graveyard and Saffira gains ATK equal to the amount of the monster it is battling!" She sent Honest to the Graveyard and then Saffira's wings were shining brighter, granting her more strength.

 **Dragon Princess Deity - Saffira** ( **ATK: 1000** → **3600** )

Hikaru gave Yuzu a sweet smile, "Sorry, Yuzu but you lost."

Yuzu, however, smiled confidently, "...Are you sure about that?" Hikaru then looked confused, "Huh?"

Yuzu pointed at Mozart, "At this moment, I activate Pendulum Mozart's monster effect!" Violeta then started playing her violin as Mozart continued singing with Hikaru looking more confused.

Yuzu gave Hikaru a smile, "When Mozart is battling a Special Summoned monster, I can choose 1 other "Melodious" Pendulum Monster I control in my Monster Zone, Pendulum Zone, or face-up in my Extra Deck! Mozart now gains ATK equal to that Pendulum Monster's ATK before damage calculation! Harmony Duet!" Hikaru's eyes widened in shock as she realized what that meant.

As Violeta was playing her violin, musical notes appeared and gathered around Mozart which made her stronger including her attack.

 **Pendulum Mozart the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 2600** → **5900** )

Yuzu looked at Hikaru, "This is the end! Pendulum Mozart continue your attack! Graceful Song!" Mozart's song finally reached Saffira and destroyed her. Hikaru looked surprised by that attack but then accepted with a smile on her face, " _Well done."_

 **HIKARU LP: 1900** → **0**

 **YUZU: WIN  
** **HIKARU: LOSE**

The blast made Hikaru kneel down for a few seconds before she got back up. Yuzu walked up to Hikaru with a curious expression on her face.

Hikaru looked up to Yuzu with a smile, "That was a good duel, Yuzu. I haven't had this fun in years especially when you showed me this Pendulum Summon."

Yuzu smiled in response, "You're welcome." She then narrowed her eyes in confusion, "But why did you want a duel in the first place?"

Hikaru, having expecting that question, just smiled back, "Even though I'm getting old, I could see that you were going through some hesitation so I figured why not challenge you to a duel to get your spirits back up."

Yuzu's eyes widened in realization, "So that's why you asking me this questions." However, she still looked a little confused, "But why would have wanted to help me? You just met me."

Hikaru laughed before her smile grew bigger, "I don't know but when I saw you, it reminded of myself when I was younger. I didn't know a lot as both a person and as a duelist. Seeing something like that, I just couldn't help but want to help you."

Yuzu was taken aback a little but then smiled sweetly, "Thank you." After hearing her reasoning, she was kind of glad she met Hikaru as it cleared some of her doubts.

Hikaru then gave Yuzu a look as if she was challenging her, "By the way, were you serious when you said that you would become strong like this Yuya?"

Yuzu then gave Hikaru a look of determination, "Yes, I will!" She made her decision to catch up to Yuya and she will stick with it.

Hikaru chuckled a little, "That's a bold statement though I'm eager to see how you'll do it." She then gave off a teasing smile, "By the way, is this Yuya your boyfriend or something?"

She processed what Hikaru said for a couple seconds before her face turned pink and steam was coming out of her ears. She waved her arms in embarrassment, "...N-No! We're just friends! H-He's like a little brother to me!"

Seeing as how Yuzu was obviously embarrassed, Hikaru gave off a knowing smile, "Whatever you say." She then had an idea, "Well, if you're going to be a great duelist then how about I give you something?" Hikaru reached into her Deck to look for something while Yuzu, who got over her embarrassment, looked at her in confusion.

Hikaru took some cards out and showed them to Yuzu, "Here, I'd like you to have these cards."

Yuzu looked at the cards and saw that Saffira was one of them. Her eyes widened in shock, "But wait...that's the Ritual Monster you used!" Is she really serious on giving her a card that powerful?

Hikaru nodded in response, "Yeah. I would like you to have it."

Yuzu looked at Hikaru in confusion, "But...why would you give me these cards?"

Hikaru smiled sweetly at Yuzu, "Sweetie, I consider myself a retired duelist so I may not need them anymore. They're probably want to be played by someone who still duels. Besides, think of it as a reward for beating me. I don't mind."

Yuzu looked at Hikaru in awe as she was thankful that Hikaru was willing to give her some cards. She then had a look of determination on her face and nodded as she took them from Hikaru. She looked at Saffira's card with amazement, "I have a Ritual Monster now…"

Hikaru nodded and smiled softly from seeing Yuzu happy to recieve her cards. She then turned and began to walk away. She stopped for a second to look at Yuzu with a soft smile, "Good luck, Yuzu. If you heading down this path, then I'll be watching your progress in the Maiami Championship." She then continued walking and soon left the alleyway and out of sight.

After watching Hikaru leave, she looked at her Deck and the cards she received with a smile on her face, " _First Pendulum Monsters and now I have a Ritual Monster."_ She had a look of determination on her face, " _Yuya, I swear I will catch up to you!"_

Yuzu then looked at the ground, " _Ruri, no matter what, I'll find out what's troubling you and I will do my best to help you!"_

After a few minutes, Yuzu saw that the sun was going down and it was getting dark. She then figured it was getting late and needed to go home. She decided to look for Yuto some more at a later time. She soon walked away and went home in around an hour.

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Melodious Appropriation** (Continuous Magic) - Once per turn, you can discard 1 card; Special Summon 1 Level 4 or below "Melodious" monster from your hand or Deck.

 **Ballet the Melodious Diva  
** (LV: 4, LIGHT, Fairy, ATK: 1700, DEF: 1100, PS: 7)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, at the start of the Damage Step, if a "Melodious" monster you control battles an opponent's monster, you can make your monster gain 600 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase.  
 _Monster Effect:_ If you control a "Melodious" monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card attacks, all "Melodious" monsters you control gain 400 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase.

 **Contralto the Melodious Songstress  
** (LV: 3, LIGHT, Fairy, ATK: 1200, DEF: 1000, PS: 9)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, if you Pendulum Summon 2 or more "Melodious" monsters at the same time, you can Special Summon 1 Level 6 or below "Melodious" monster from your Graveyard.  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is Special Summoned, you can draw 1 card. If this card is sent to the Graveyard, gain 800 LP.

 **Singer's Anchor** _ **(Credit goes to Frost190 and her partner)**_ (Magic Card) - Activate only if you control 2 or more "Melodious" monsters. Draw 2 cards.

 **Graceful Light** (Trap Card) - Activate only when a LIGHT monster you control is attacked; halve the damage you take from this battle. Then, you can Special Summon a LIGHT monster from your Graveyard whose Level is lower than the one destroyed and, if you do, gain LP equal half of that monster's ATK.

 **Minuet the Melodious Diva  
** (LV: 5, LIGHT, Fairy, ATK: 2100, DEF: 800, PS: 2)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, you can target 1 monster your opponent controls; that monster loses 300 ATK for each "Melodious" monster you control until the End Phase.  
 _Monster Effect:_ Once per turn, you can inflict 200 damage to your opponent for each "Melodious" monster you control. If you would take damage, you can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard; the damage you would take is halved.

 **Melodious Callback** (Magic Card) - Add 2 "Melodious" monsters from your Graveyard to your hand.

 **Violeta the Melodious Maestra  
** (LV: 7, LIGHT, Fairy, ATK: 2500, DEF: 1900, PS: 4)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, you can destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on the field.  
 _Monster Effect:_ This card gains 100 ATK for every "Melodious" card you control. Once per turn, you can target 1 other "Melodious" monster you control: that monster gains 500 ATK and can attack twice each Battle Phase until the end of this turn; however, this card cannot attack during the turn it uses this effect.

 **Pendulum Mozart the Melodious Maestra  
** (LV: 8, LIGHT, Fairy, ATK: 2600, DEF: 2000, PS: 5)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, if you have another "Melodious" card in your Pendulum Zone, you can double this card's Pendulum Scale until the End Phase.  
 _Monster Effect:_ Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 LIGHT Fairy-type monster from your hand or Graveyard. When this card battles a Special Summoned monster, before damage calculation, you can target 1 other "Melodious" Pendulum Monster that you control in your Monster Zone, Pendulum Zone, or face-up in your Extra Deck; this card gains ATK equal to the targeted monster's ATK until the end of the Damage Step.

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime, and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **Sorry about the wait. This honestly took a lot longer than I thought mainly cause of college and I was trying to decide what Pendulum Monsters I should introduce first for Yuzu. Regardless, I'm glad it turned out good.**

 **So, I wasn't really satisfied with Mozart's current effect so I changed it when it turned into a Pendulum Monster. I hope y'all like it.**

 **I'll admit maybe the chapter wasn't executed perfectly but, hey, it is what it is. I at least hope y'all enjoy it a little.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Aim to Become Strong -** While they're trying to help Ruri, Yuya and Yuzu realize that the Maiami Championship is coming up soon and both of them need some more wins in order to qualify...

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 **Like or please review ~**


	12. Aim to Become Strong

**Sorry about the wait, I was a little occupied with other stuff going on in my life.**

 **Thank you to everyone who sent messages, read and/or reviewed the last chapter; here's some of my responses:**

 **Thetiger39 - Huh. I didn't know about those articles. Although during the Synchro Arc, I was expecting for Yuzu to get either Melodious Synchro monsters or Pendulum Monsters and, to my disappointment, she got neither. Well, hopefully some of those people will be happy that I gave Yuzu Pendulum Monsters finally. Otherwise, thanks for the comment.**

 **MarBere123 - Thank you for the review. :)**

 **ThePLOThand - It's kind of a coincidence since I already knew about Mikiyo but there's no connection. I just figured I could use Fairy monsters for her deck. As for the Maiami Championship, some duels will be the same and some will be different. There will probably be different opponents as well. That's all I'm going to say for now. Otherwise, thanks for the review.**

 **Mekyaku - Thanks for the review. I don't know if some of you notice or not but, in some of the recent chapters, I'm actually trying to make Ritual Summoning just as important as the other summoning methods (in my story at least) especially when, for some reason, Arc-V just chose to mostly ignore Ritual Summoning or at least not treat it as important as the others. Hikaru is honestly more of a helping character though maybe she'll appear again in another chapter in the future. Who knows?**

 **Fangs of Death - Thanks for the comment.**

 **Guest (well one of them anyway) - Yeah, I don't think Lyrical Luscinia monsters are limited to Level 1 either. I'll probably introduce different ones later down the road.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12 - Aim to Become Strong**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - MAIAMI HIGH SCHOOL**

Yuya was sitting on a bench in the schoolyard next to Yuzu. They were currently having their lunch break. Yuya opened his lunch box that was also designed as a Duel Monsters deck case, and then turned the lid of the box that had the image of his dad's ace monster, Entermate Sky Magician.

Yuya looked at the image with a smile on his face, " _Just you wait dad, I'll become a great duelist just like you and help make connections with lots of people I duel."_

Yuya then turned to Yuzu with a curious expression, "So Yuzu, you're telling me you've got a Ritual Monster now?" Yuzu was just telling him about how she met this woman who is supposedly a retired duelist and gave her some cards in which one of them was a Ritual Monster as a reward for Yuzu winning the duel.

Yuzu smiled and nodded in response, "Yeah." She then reached into her pocket and pulled out Saffira to look at it, "I think...maybe she gave it to me because she saw something in me." Though she didn't know Hikaru personally, that's the best thing she could come up with in terms of why she gave her this card which honestly put a smile on her face, happy to see someone putting such expectations on her but is also a little pressured by it as well.

Yuya raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "She saw something in you? Hmm...Maybe she thinks you'll be a great duelist someday. I know I do."

Yuzu turned to Yuya, a little surprised, before smiling sweetly, "Thank you, Yuya." Her smile then turned into a confident smile, "And just you wait, I'll catch up with you in no time."

Yuya, who was caught a little off guard by Yuzu's declaration, couldn't help but chuckle a little, "Well then, I'll be waiting Yuzu. Don't think I will make it easy for you either." Honestly, even though he still feels a little guilty for not saying anything earlier, but hearing Yuzu saying he will catch up to him in terms of dueling skill almost made him laugh more and so he welcomes the challenge.

Yuzu nodded in response, "Yeah." She then looked down at the ground a little, " _But first, I'm going to need some help with that."_ She knows that even though she has a Ritual Monster now, she hasn't exactly learned how to Ritual Summon nor has she ever performed it before. And not only that, but if she's going to catch up with Yuya then she needs to start learning the other methods soon enough. She wondered what she should do first but her thoughts were soon interrupted by Yuya.

Yuya looked at his lunch with a smile, "Well anyway, it's time to dig in!" He held up his lunch box and then began eating.

Yuzu had a small smile on her face, "Hey, don't eat too fast or you'll choke." However, she then saw that someone was holding out a napkin to her. She looked forward and, to her surprise, saw Shingo standing there with a smile, "Hey there."

Yuya stopped eating when he noticed Sawatari standing there and had both a curious and cautious look on his face. He wondered what Sawatari would want right now especially considering what happened these past few days.

Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise as she saw Sawatari, "Sawatari?" She then narrowed her eyes and turned her face away, remembering what happened the last couple of times she met him.

Sawatari looked confused from seeing Yuzu's reaction before turning to Yuya with a smirk on his face as he put the napkin in his pocket, "Sheesh, acting so uncouth in front a lady! Your eating habits and dueling are both so dirty!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes, a little offended, "My eating habits aside, what about my dueling is dirty?"

Shingo only chuckled as he closed his eyes, "Looks like you ambushed someone again."

Both Yuya and Yuzu looked confused before Yuzu glared at Sawatari, "Hey, it wasn't Yuya who did that!" Her face then turned back into a look of confusion, "But...what do you mean again?"

Shingo narrowed his eyes a little, "One of LDS' teachers got attacked by a guy who uses Xyz Summoning."

Yuya and Yuzu had shocked expression on their faces before Yuya looked at the ground a little, "So that's why Reiji left…" Yuzu turned to Yuya, understanding that he's saying that Reiji might have left in a hurry because of one of the teachers being attacked, remembering what happened before when Reiji left after the duel with Yuya.

Sawatari turned his eyes at Yuya, "And I was joking when I said that you were the one who did it. Besides…" To Yuya and Yuzu's confusion, Shingo turned his head away a little, almost like he didn't want them to see his face.

Soon after, they heard him spoke reluctantly, "...I'm sorry." Both of them were surprised and then Yuya looked at Sawatari curiously, "What?"

Shingo turned his head a little and he had a look of both irritation and reluctance as he sighed, "...I'm sorry for accusing you before."

Yuya then realized what Sawatari was implying, "You mean before with you being _ambushed_?" He had his fingers moving in quotations as he said the word "ambushed" implying that he already knows that Sawatari wasn't really injured.

Sawatari ignored the quotations and sighed slowly, "...Yeah. I thought for sure you were the one who attacked me..." Although he hated to admit it, he was wrong about Yuya ambushing him before. He still doesn't like Yuya especially after their last encounter but after thinking about it for a couple days and hearing some other stuff made him realize that something wasn't right if Yuya was the one who indeed attacked him. He also had some thoughts about the one who did attack him. He may have had the same face as Yuya but there were some differences that he didn't pay attention to until now which made it more suspicious. With that mind, even though he still hates Yuya, he feels like he owes an apology for getting something wrong. Regardless of what people think of him, he's man enough to admit his mistakes when he needs to.

Yuzu was a little surprised that Sawatari was being apologetic, "Sawatari…"

Yuya looked at Sawatari for a second before shrugging his shoulders with a small smile on his face. He was a little taken aback by how Sawatari was willing to apologize, granted he was trying very hard not to show it, but could see that Sawatari can actually be somewhat of a decent person when he wants to.

Before Yuya could respond, Sawatari pointed his hand and narrowed his eyes at Yuya, "But don't think for a second that this makes us even! I still have a score to settle with you especially with your cowardly Pendulum Summoning!" Shingo did not want to make Yuya assume that they were friends as he still remembers the humiliation he gave him before and he can't let that slide.

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little in irritation while also partly confused by what "score" they had to settle, "And how exactly is my Pendulum Summoning cowardly?"

Sawatari leaned forward and glared at Yuya, "The fact that only you possess it is unfair!" Yuya narrowed his eyes even more, wanting to retort that he's no longer the only one who possess Pendulum Cards as Reiji, Mikleo, Yuzu, and his friends also obtained them as well. He decided to not say anything, feeling that Sawatari was somewhat right that it was a little unfair that only few people have this summoning method. Yuzu narrowed her eyes as well, not saying anything either.

Sawatari stood up with a smirk on his face, "But that'll end soon." He opened his eyes to look at them, "There are rumors that Leo Corporation is independently developing Pendulum Cards."

He glared at Yuya as he clenched his fist, "I'm going to get my hands on those…" He then pointed at Yuya while looking determined, "...and defeat you!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes, not saying anything but silently welcoming the challenge. Sawatari retreated his hand to look at Yuya, "That's all I came here to say, see ya." He turned around and held up his arm in goodbye, "I'll be waiting for you at the Maiami Championship." He then walked away.

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he watch Sawatari walk away, "The Maiami Championship…" After around a couple seconds, he realized something as his eyes widened, "That's right! I completely forgot!" As of now, he's not qualified to participate in the Maiami Championship.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - DOWNTOWN - CAFE**

Yuto was wearing a hood over his head in order to hide his face among others regardless if he looks suspicious or not. Yuto was drinking some tea in a restaurant as he was both taking a break from searching and see if there's anybody that has any information he needs.

He stared at his cup of tea as he was thinking, " _I hope Shun's recklessness doesn't get him into trouble."_ Although he trusts Shun to keep himself safe, sometimes his anger and recklessness can get the better of him and he has to watch over him to keep him from getting into trouble.

He then grabbed a newspaper nearby to see if there's any news about this city that might be useful. He was turning the pages with nothing interesting in them.

A waitress walked over to him with a smile, "Excuse me, sir? Would you like some more tea?"

Yuto looked back with a small smile, "No thanks. Thank you for the offer, ma'am." The waitress nodded and then walked away.

Yuto then took a small sip from his tea and turned to the last page of the newspaper. He then saw something that peaked his interest, "...Maiami Championship?" He saw on the page that there was apparently a tournament coming up in Maiami City involving duelists from all around the globe to compete in duels. It was divided into three brackets: Youth, Junior Youth, and Senior Division. His eyes narrowed a little as he saw that this tournament was being sponsored by Leo Corporation.

He was a little suspicious, " _This tournament is being sponsored by Leo Corporation. Although I can see that most of LDS might not know about Academia, Reiji Akaba is surely one of them and this seems a little suspicious."_ He is aware that Reiji Akaba is the son of the Professor, who is also Leo Akaba and the leader of Academia itself. Both he and Shun believe that Reiji knows something about Academia which is the reason as to why Shun has been attacking LDS members in order to get Reiji's attention and not just to find Ruri as well. Since Reiji is also Leo Corporation's President, to see him and the company sponsor a tournament is a little questionable but Yuto isn't sure as Standard isn't currently involved in their war with Fusion so maybe this is just normal for them.

He then had a thought to his head, " _I wonder...maybe we can find Ruri if one of us enter…"_ It was a small thought as neither of them still haven't found Yuya, Yuzu, or Ruri for that matter. He isn't sure but maybe if Ruri either watches or participates in this tournament, they can see each other again. However, he currently has no way knowing if Ruri will even participate or even be able to watch this tournament as he still isn't sure about how Ruri is doing and he's not sure if he's willing to participate in a tournament especially with their current situation.

Yuto narrowed his eyes a little, " _Shun might be willing though…"_ Shun might be willing to participate if it means that they might be able to see Ruri again but he's not sure if it is a good idea or not as they are still trying to avoid too attention to themselves. Yuto sighed a little, " _I'll have to think about it…"_ He wasn't sure what to do right now.

However, he heard some people talking behind him a couple feet back as there was one guy wearing a blue shirt with brown hair and a blond haired woman wearing an orange dress. The guy in the blue shirt was speaking, "Hey, did you hear? There's a rumor going around that Reiji Akaba actually dueled Yuya Sakaki." The woman was surprised, "What? Yuya Sakaki? The son of Yusho Sakaki? He actually dueled Reiji Akaba?"

Yuto heard them as his eyes widened a little in both surprise and interest from the second name he heard, " _Yuya?"_ He remembered that name from Yuzu, who also said that he apparently looks like him. He then decided to listen more into the conversation.

"Yeah. I don't know the details but apparently some people have heard that Reiji actually dueled Yuya."

The woman narrowed her eyes, "The President of Leo Corporation dueling someone like him? I don't think that's true even if he is Yusho Sakaki's son."

The man shrugged his shoulders, "Well, it is just a rumor. I looked at their records and it said that none of them have dueled each other before though maybe it could have been done it secret."

"Yeah right. Where did you even hear about this anyway?"

The man had a thoughtful look on his face, "...I can't remember where but I seem to recall hearing some people talking about this yesterday. This duel supposedly took place at something called You Show Duel School."

Yuto narrowed his eyes as he heard this information, " _You Show Duel School…"_ As finished hearing this information, he was thinking that maybe that's where he can find this Yuzu and Yuya and possibly Ruri as well. He was also curious about this rumor that Yuya dueled Reiji, " _Does Yuya have some kind of connection with Reiji Akaba?"_ He can't be sure as it might have been just a duel between with each other and nothing else but it probably wouldn't hurt to investigate this.

Yuto then had a look of resolve on his face, " _I know where I'm heading next."_ He then looked at the window hopefully, " _...And hopefully, Ruri is there..."_

He turned his head toward the waitress that was nearing, "Excuse me?" The waitress turned with a curious expression and Yuto kept speaking, "Do you know where I can find You Show Duel School?"

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - MAIAMI HIGH SCHOOL**

School was over as the bell rang; Yuya and Yuzu were walking away from the school building. Ayu, Tatsuya, and Futoshi were waiting for them at the school gate.

Ayu waved at them with a smile on her face, "Big Bro Yuya! Big Sis Yuzu!" Futoshi joined in as well, "Did you have fun at school?" Tatsuya looked excited, "Let's hurry up and go to You Show…" Tatsuya stopped when the kids noticed that Yuya had a sad smile on his face while Yuzu frowned a little bit. They were confused as to why they looked a little depressed.

Tatsuya looked at Yuya, a little concerned, "What's wrong, Big Bro Yuya?"

* * *

All five of them were walking back towards You Show; Yuya and Yuzu had just told the kids that neither of them are qualified for the Maiami Championship right now.

Futoshi was surprised, "You both aren't qualified?" Ayu was both curious and confused, "For the Maiami Championship?"

Yuya gave off a sad smile, "Yeah...In order to qualify, you need to have at least 50 matches with a 60% win rate." He was a little upset at himself that he basically forgot all about it.

Yuzu sighed a little, "And sadly, neither of us have those qualifications yet."

Ayu looked curious, "What's your current record?"

Yuya sighed a little as well, "I have 31 wins out of 52 matches...although I don't think Tag Duels count so it would be 29 wins out of 50…"

Yuzu looked a little sad, "I had 54 matches with 32 wins…" She kinda forgot about the qualification for the championship as well although she isn't too concerned as she technically needed only one win left.

Tatsuya had a thoughtful expression on his face as he held his hand to his head, "So that's...for Big Bro Yuya, 29 divided by 50 is...58%. And for Big Sis Yuzu, 32 divided by 54...59.2%. You're right that isn't enough." Tatsuya calculated the answers in his head while also noting that although Yuya and Yuzu have enough matches, the win percentage isn't high enough.

Futoshi was impressed by Tatsuya's quick thinking, "Wow, Tatsuya, you're fast at math!"

Tatsuya then looked at both Yuya and Yuzu curiously, "But, by my calculations, if Big Bro Yuya wins three more and Big Sis Yuzu wins one more, then you both qualify right?"

Yuzu gave off a sad smile, "Yeah, we tried to find opponents for Yuya since I only needed one more but…" To their dismay, none of the students they asked wanted to duel Yuya mainly because he defeated Strong Ishijima and thought he was too skilled to duel them.

Both of them can recall what some of them said, " _No way! You beat a pro! Why should I duel you?" "You beat Strong Ishijima and now you're trying to get into the Maiami Championship? Are you kidding me?" "You beat the Champion, so shouldn't you get a free pass through the Junior Youth? Lucky you…"_

Yuya sighed, a little irritated, "I didn't get a free pass though. Not many people realize that was just an exhibition match. Just my luck…"

Yuzu narrowed her eyes at Yuya, "You know you did this to yourself." Yuya turned his head, confused while Yuzu looked a little irritated at him, "If you have actually tried to win most of your duels, you wouldn't be in this mess." She was basically pointing out that Yuya would have already qualified for the championship if he wasn't holding back before in his duels.

Yuya's eyes widened a little before sheepishly smiling and rubbing the back of his neck, "Uh...well, good point." He couldn't really argue about that there.

Tatsuya had a thoughtful look on his face, "In order to have a status of a pro duelist, you have to win the Junior Youth bracket of the Maiami Championship or, at the very least, be in the top 12 to be considered for it…"

Futoshi finished his sentence, "And then pass the Youth Exam and win the Youth Bracket of the Championship."

Ayu smiled in curiosity, "And then you have to pass the pro exam, right?"

Yuya gave off a sad smile, "Yeah, that's basically how it usually works." While he has no one to blame but himself for this mess, he wonders how he's going to find opponents in time for the championship as it is only around a week away.

However, Yuzu looked at him curiously, "Yuya, how about getting Gongenzaka to help you? It's thanks to the Gongenzaka Dojo that you've gotten most of your matches this past year, right?" She wanted to Yuya an idea as to how to qualify in time.

Yuya looked at the ground, "I'm thankful for that. He had always helped me whenever I needed it. Even part of the fact that I'm aiming to become a great duelist now is thanks to Gongenzaka. But that's exactly why…" As the kids and Yuzu were looking at him curiously, he held up a fist as he smiled with determination, "I need to do this on my own. I can't have Gongenzaka help me especially considering that I got myself into this mess. I don't want to be a burden to him. I'll find a way with my own strength!" He feels that since he lied to Gongenzaka about his true strength, he feels if he asks Gongenzaka for help then he's being a little selfish in his opinion. Besides, Gongenzaka is probably training hard for the championship so he shouldn't bother him right now.

Yuzu looked at Yuya with amazement, "With your own strength…" She then remembered something as her eyes widened. She then had a look of determination on her face, "You're right!" She then turned and ran off with her school bag on her shoulder with Yuya looking at her confused, "Hey! Where are you going?"

Yuzu looked over her shoulder with a smile, "Don't worry! I'll meet you at You Show later! I just thought I need to stronger myself!" She then waved at them as she ran off further in the distance.

Yuya looked confused as to what Yuzu was up to, "Stronger…" He then narrowed his eyes a little, " _...Is this because of what happened with You Show or...me?"_ He wasn't sure as he said, "What was that all about?"

Ayu looked at Yuya, "It's because you were only praising Gongenzaka isn't it?"

Tatsuya nodded as he crossed his arms, "That's true. You didn't have any words of thanks for Big Sis Yuzu…"

Futoshi then had a smile on his face as he crossed his arms, "You just don't get it, do you Big Bro Yuya?"

Yuya then looked shocked as he realized his mistake, "Wha...wait a minute! Of course I'm thankful for everything she has done for me...no, even more!"

Ayu then had a sly smile as she looked away coyly, "Oh well, it's too late. You should have said something earlier Big Bro Yuya."

Yuya then had a panicked look on his face as he realized he might have messed up by not praising Yuzu and, to their amusement, the kids were snickering at Yuya's panicking.

Yuzu was running as she had a determined smile on her face, " _I have to get stronger...for both Yuya and You Show!"_ With that in mind, Yuzu was heading towards You Show, ahead of Yuya and the others, to meet someone.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Yuzu arrived at You Show ahead of Yuya and the kids from around a a few minutes faster. She entered the building and saw that Rin and Ruri were playing checkers. Rin looked a little frustrated while Ruri looked like she was sweatdropping a little.

Rin sighed a little in frustration, "Damn, you're better at this than I thought Ruri." Ruri suggested that they play checkers to pass the time and Rin accepted although now she's feeling both frustrated and impressed that Ruri is better than her at this game than she thought.

Ruri just sheepishly smiled, "Oh, I'm not that good." Then, the two of them noticed Yuzu entering the room and smiled. Ruri waved at her, "Hey Yuzu."

Yuzu couldn't help but smile at the two of them, "Are you two getting the hang of You Show?" She was curious if Ruri and Rin have gotten used to hanging around You Show since they've only been here for around a few days although it seems they aren't bothered by it.

Rin shook her head, "Yeah, it is definitely nice compared to my home in New Domino City." Usually, she didn't mind what she had back in Satellite and New Domino City but she she didn't mind the change of scenery either and it was nice.

Yuzu looked at them curiously, "Hey, have you seen Mikleo anywhere?"

Rin pointed at the garage, "He's in the garage like he usually is nowadays." Both Ruri and Rin curious as to why Yuzu was asking Mikleo's whereabouts.

Yuzu nodded in satisfaction, "Thanks." She then ran off towards the garage. Ruri and Rin looked to each other in confusion before deciding to follow Yuzu to see what's up.

Mikleo was in the garage using his wrench to fix something that was covered up all around by a huge white cloth. Yuzu entered the room with a smile on her face as she called out, "Mikleo!"

Mikleo heard his name and turned to see Yuzu running towards him, "Oh, hey Yuzu." Just then, Ruri and Rin entered the room to see what's troubling Yuzu lately.

Mikleo then saw that Yuzu looked like she needed something and raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Something wrong, Yuzu?"

Yuzu then gave him a look of determination as she stared at him, "Mikleo, could you please tell me more about Ritual Summoning?"

Mikleo narrowed his eyes, "...Why do you want to know about that?" He was confused as to where this was coming from.

Yuzu reached into her pocket and brought out her new Ritual Monster that she recently received and showed it to Mikleo. Mikleo narrowed his eyes as he took a closer look at the card shown: Dragon Princess Deity - Saffira. Mikleo looked at Yuzu curiously, "Where'd you get this?" He was really curious as to where Yuzu got such a good monster card. Ruri and Rin then walked over to take a closer look and, to their surprise and curiosity, saw Yuzu's Ritual Monster.

Yuzu then had a small smile on her face, "...I got it from a friend." She felt happy as she remembered that Hikaru gave her this card while placing her belief in herself.

Mikleo raised an eyebrow in suspicion but decided not press the matter as he looked at the card again, "...Are you saying you want to learn how to Ritual Summoning?" He figured that might have been the reason she showed him this and asked about the summoning method.

Yuzu's face then turned serious as she had a look of determination on it, "...Yes, I need you to teach me how to Ritual Summon." Since she now possesses a Ritual Monster, she needed to learn how to properly perform the summoning method in case there are some things she doesn't know about Ritual Summoning. The only two people that knows how to use it are Yuya and Mikleo. She could ask Yuya but he might have his hands full trying to qualify for the Maiami Championship so she doesn't want to bother him with it. Ruri and Rin looked at Yuzu curiously, wondering what happened and if she really is going to learn Ritual Summoning.

Mikleo stared at Yuzu for a few seconds, wondering if she was actually serious, before looking at the card again. Mikleo had a theory as he had an unreadable expression on his face, "...Is this about what happened with You Show before? With you and Masumi?" He wondered if Yuzu was still bothered by the fact that she lost against Masumi even though she did her best.

Yuzu looked down at the ground as she frowned a little, remembering how depressed she felt when she failed to win against Masumi. Ruri and Rin looked at Yuzu with concern before Yuzu's face turned back into a look of determination, "Part of that is the reason but I also want to become stronger…for both You Show and Yuya." She didn't hesitate to speak her thoughts on the matter as she was determined to go through with it.

Mikleo stared back at Yuzu, seeing her resolve and reasoning. He had to think for a second. He was willing to teach his brother the other summoning methods but would it be alright to teach Yuzu some of them as well? He already knew the answer as he gave a small smile, "Alright, fine. I'll teach you."

Yuzu then smiled happily, "Thank you, Mikleo." Ruri smiled a little as she felt happy for Yuzu wanting to learn Ritual Summoning while, for some reason, Rin had her hand to her chin as she was thinking about something.

Mikleo then gave Yuzu a stern look, "But I can't do it right now. How about I start teaching you tomorrow?" He really didn't feel like teaching today since he is already working on his own project right now.

Yuzu nodded in response, "Okay. That's alright with me." Happy that she got part of what she wanted, she then turned and began run of the garage.

Ruri looked confused, "Yuzu, where are you going?"

Yuzu turned and waved happily, "I got to go find someone. I'll see you guys later!" She then ran out of the room and out of sight.

Ruri narrowed her eyes a little in confusion, "What was that about?" She then turned her head and noticed Rin was thinking hard about something. Ruri looked at Rin curiously, "Rin, is something wrong?"

Rin moved her hand back to look at Ruri with a neutral expression on her face, "Uh...nothing. Just thinking about something." Ruri just blinked in confusion before shrugging it off as nothing.

Mikleo, however, could see that Rin might have interested in their conversation about Ritual Summoning and will have to make a mental note about that later. He'll wait to see if Rin has something to say about it later.

Meanwhile, outside of the building, across the street was Yuto, in a alleyway, with a hood over his head while wearing half of his mask that covered the lower half of his face. He finally found You Show and looked at it with a curious look, " _Alright, how do I approach this?"_ He wondered how he should do this without drawing too much attention.

However, he then saw someone exiting the building and his eyes widened in shock as to who it was. It was the girl who wore a school uniform while having his friend's face with blue eyes and pink hair in pigtails. To his memory, her name was Yuzu and he finally found one of them again. Yuzu was running out of the building with both a hasty expression and an excited smile on her face, making him wonder what she was up to. She ran off, away from the building, and in the right direction towards the downtown area.

Yuto, being curious as to where she was going and because he needed to talk to her, slowly followed after while avoiding many people's sights.

After a few minutes, Yuya and the kids arrived at You Show and soon went into the elevator. Yuya narrowed his eyes as he was thinking, " _Although I said I wouldn't rely on Gongenzaka, I wonder how I'm going to find three opponents…I don't think going to LDS and ask people to duel me there is an option either..."_

Yuya and the kids entered the sitting room as the elevator door opened; however, they heard a voice calling out to Yuya, "Oh, my boy!"

Yuya looked up and, to his shock, Strong Ishijima's manager, Nico Smiley, grabbed his left hand and shook it in excitement, "It's been so long since I've seen you!" Yuya was surprised as he recognized him, "Wait, you're-!"

The kids were shocked as well as they finished his sentence, "Nico Smiley!"

Yuya looked at Nico confused, "Uh...I don't want to be rude but why are you here?"

Ruri and Rin just now entered the room with curious expressions on their faces, wondering what's going on. Shuzo stood up from his chair with a huge smile on his face, "He came here to give you some good news, Yuya." Yuya looked back at Shuzo with an eyebrow raised in confusion. Shuzo held up his fists in excitement, "Congrats, Yuya! It's been decided that you can enter the Maiami Championship, no strings attached!"

Rin now looked even more curious as she heard what they said, "Maiami Championship?" This was the first time she has heard about it. She looked at Ruri to see if she had any clue about it but she shook her head in response, feeling confused as well.

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, wondering if he heard that right, "Huh? Really? No strings attached?" They would just let him enter the tournament with no requirements?

Nico smiley excitedly at Yuya, "That's right Yuya! Even though it was an exhibition match, since you defeated Strong Ishijima, the Maiami Dueling Association decided to make a special exception and have allowed you to enter the Maiami Championship with no requirements needed!"

The kids smiled excitedly at Yuya with Ayu speaking, "Wow, that's amazing Big Bro Yuya!"

Tatsuya nodded his head, "To think that _the_ Dueling Association is giving you permission to participate…" Futoshi smiled happily as well, "...it gives me the shivers!"

Yuya's shocked face then turned into a frown as his eyes narrowed a little, confusing Ruri, Rin, Nico and Shuzo. Shuzo saw Yuya looking a little troubled, "What's wrong, Yuya?"

Yuya looked at Nico with a small smile, "Well, I'm really grateful for the opportunity but…" His thoughts turned to when one of boys at school saying that he should get a free pass just for beating the champion which irritated him a little bit. He finished his sentence with his hand raised, "I'll pass on it. I'm sorry."

The kids looked shocked and confused as they shouted out, "What?!" They didn't expect this nor did Nico as he looked at Yuya, shocked as well, "What?! Why?! _Pourquoi?!_ "

Yuya sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Well, it just seems like it would be unfair to a lot of people…" Hearing that, made Shuzo, Rin and Ruri grew a smile on their faces as they now understood Yuya's reasoning.

Nico shook his head, " _Non, non!_ It's not unfair at all!" He gave off a smile, "You should be proud that the Association is giving you its approval!"

Yuya shook his head with a small smile, "I would feel bad for Ishijima too…" While part of the reason is because he didn't want people to think he got into the Maiami Championship easily and irritate him a little with the complaining, he did feel bad for Strong Ishijima as it might ruin his reputation as well.

From remembering Ishijima, Yuya gave Nico a curious expression, "Say, I haven't seen Strong Ishijima in a while. How's he doing?"

Nico got a frustrated expression on his face with a mixture of grimness from hearing Yuya's question, "...He's no longer the Champion." Yuya was confused, "Huh?" Nico then looked distraught as he gritted his teeth and crying some tears, "After losing that match, he forfeited his title and went overseas to retrain himself from scratch!"

Yuya and the kids were shocked from what they heard as they all shouted out, "What?!" Did Strong Ishijima really do that? Yuya didn't think he would actually forfeit the title. Now, he honestly feels really bad for him; even though he mocked his father before, he doesn't really have any bad blood towards him no more if it even was called "bad blood".

Nico then had a dramatic expression on his face as he waved his arms, "Because of that, I am now _free_...a manager with no duelist to manage!" He gave a smile to Yuya, "Which is why, Yuya, what do you say about aiming for the top with help from my management?"

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little and gave off a sad smile before bowing a little, "I'm sorry." Hearing that response made Nico fell down in shock. While it might be a nice offer, Yuya was thinking that Nico might be wanting to guide him just for fame and money because of him and his Pendulum Summoning.

The kids came to the same conclusion as they spoke, "Now I get it, he was betting on the council's approval…" Tatsuya said as he had his eyes narrowed.

"...to just make some money for himself?" Futoshi finished while narrowing his eyes as well.

Ayu was glaring at Nico with cold eyes, "He's the worst."

Having hearing what the kids said, Nico got back up and grabbed his hand, "That's not it all! I fell head over heels in love with your talent, Yuya!"

Yuya looked to the ground as he didn't know what to think. Nico could be either exaggerating or lying but it seems like he's being sincere which makes him ponder. But then, he thought of an idea that Nico could help with if he's being sincere.

Yuya looked up to Nico with a curious expression, "If you truly feel that way, then I want to ask you for a favor."

Nico stared back in confusion, "Huh? A favor? And what would that be?"

Yuya nodded his head as he pulled his back from Nico, "I want to earn my spot in the Maiami Championship, but I need to win three more official duels but I can't find anyone to duel me. So, I wondered if you could arrange three duels for me?"

Nico had to think for a second before sighing and then a smile appeared on his face, "Well, if that's truly what you want, then leave it to me. I don't think I'll have trouble finding them but I will find some people that will truly test your abilities!"

Yuya nodded in excitement, "Sure. That's all I ask." He then had another idea, "Although, Yuzu needs at least one opponent for her also so I wondered if it wouldn't be too much trouble for find one for Yuzu as well?" He wanted to be sure that Yuzu gets into the Maiami Championship so he thought he should help her out.

Nico nodded and brought out his hand towards Yuya, "Sure, leave it to me!" Yuya accepted the handshake with a smile. Shuzo looked at the scene with a smile as he was proud of Yuya for wanting to earn his spot in the Championship instead.

After around a minute, Nico left the room to go find opponents for Yuya. Rin walked up to Yuya with a curious expression, "Hey, Yuya. What's the Maiami Championship?"

Yuya was a little surprised but then remembered that Rin isn't from here and then had a small smile on his face, "Well, basically it's a tournament that's divided into three brackets: Youth, Junior Youth, and Senior. Duelists from around the world can come and compete in this tournament and potentially receive qualifications to be a pro."

Rin now looked even more curious but also a little confused, "Do you really need to win the Championship in order to become a pro?" To her, it sounded a little like the Friendship Cup except there was only one top duelist which is the Duel King or Queen and having multiple people recognized as top duelists was a bit of surprise to her but she wasn't against it. She was also curious if this tournament would actually give you qualifications to become a pro that easily even if your dueling skills are better than average already known.

Yuya sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he shrugged his shoulders as well, "Well...personally, I'm not sure. But, to me, it wouldn't hurt to participate to gain more dueling experience. I already know how good I am but I need to show people and prove to them my strength and resolve as a duelist as well." He wasn't trying to be arrogant about it, he was just speaking from his heart and the duels he might have in the Championship could be exciting as well.

Rin then smiled excitedly, "Interesting…" Now she was intrigued by this Championship tournament and had an idea in mind.

Shuzo saw the excited look on Rin's face and smiled knowingly, "Rin, are you interested in participating as well?" He then realized that neither Rin nor Ruri have said if they're planning on participating and would be overjoyed for more students of You Show participating.

The kids and Yuya looked at Rin with anticipation while Ruri had a curious smile as she watched this event unfold.

Rin was thinking for a minute about if she should actually participate in it or not. It wouldn't actually hurt and it might help her gain more experience when she returns home and enters the Friendship Cup and she's also intrigued by what kind of duelists she could face in the tournament as well; knowing that, she made her decision.

Rin then had an excited smile on her face as she raised a fist, "Sure. Why not? I think I'll participate!" She always loved dueling and participating could be fun.

Shuzo raised a fist in excitement, "Alright! I'm getting hot-blooded!" He was all fired up now that Rin decided to participate.

Yuya smiled from Rin's decision but then had to say something, "However, since you're not from Maiami City, you're going to have to find a way to qualify for it."

Rin then was confused, "Okay, so how can you enter?"

Shuzo looked at her, "There are two ways you can qualify: you need to have at least 50 official duels with a 60% win rate or you can either try to win 6 duels in a row in order to qualify.

Rin was pondering, "Hmm…" To her knowledge, Maiami City probably doesn't have any records of her duels before and she doesn't know if she had 50 duels or not. She has had a lot of them back home, but she can't remember how many she had. Rin then had a small smile as she made her decision, "Well then, I guess I have to win 6 more duels in a row then. Maybe you could ask Nico for me as well?" Although, she doesn't think it will be hard to find some opponents to duel by the time the tournament rolls around. Just in case, she was wondering if Yuya could ask Nico to find some duelists for herself as well.

Yuya nodded in satisfaction before turning to Ruri in curiosity, "How about you, Ruri? Are you planning on entering?"

Ruri was a little surprised to be asked that, "Eh? Umm…" She trailed off as she didn't know what to say. She doesn't know if she wants to participate or not but she mostly doesn't want to mainly because of her current situation although normally she would be excited to try and enter a tournament since it reminded her somewhat of the World Duel Carnival back in Heartland. Then again, if she enters, a thought came to mind that maybe that will increase the chance of seeing Shun and Yuto again.

Ruri looked a little hesitate, "Umm...I don't know." She isn't sure yet if she wants to or not.

Yuya raised an eyebrow in curiosity before smiling a little in understanding, "Well, if you change your mind, you have until around a week to try and get 6 wins in a row." He doesn't know why Ruri would hesitate to answer but understood that she's got her own problems especially with finding Yuto so he didn't pry.

Ruri smiled sweetly and bowed a little in gratefulness, "Thank you." She then looked at the ground with a semi-sad smile as she was pondering on what to do.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LEO DUEL SCHOOL**

Sora was standing in front of the LDS building with a lollipop in his hand, " _I never would've thought he was Leo Corporation's President, but, then again, he is the Professor's son."_

He looked at the entrance and saw that there were a lot of guards in front of the area; he narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, " _However, there sure are a lot of guards here. It sure doesn't look like they will just let me meet him if I just went up and asked nicely."_

He then saw how one of workers placed his hand on a scanner before the guard nodded his head, showing it was okay to enter which he did. Sora sighed in irritation, "Damn it, I really wanted to fight him." He then licked his lollipop to pass the time.

However, he heard a familiar voice call out to him, "I finally found you!" He turned around in shock to see Yuzu running towards him.

She stopped in front in him and placed a hand on her hip, "I was wondering why you haven't showed up at You Show lately but now I know. You were after Reiji Akaba, weren't you?"

Sora waved his hand in front of him, "That's not it, I wouldn't say that I'm _after_ him…"

Yuzu sighed, "Seriously, it is just like it was with Yuya when we first met. When you take an interest in someone, you start following them around even if they don't like it."

Sora rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Well, you've got to admit, he is pretty interesting. He can use Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz _and_ Pendulum just like Yuya."

Yuzu then looked at him, a little concerned, "Speaking of which, are you still mad about...you know…?" She was wondering if Sora was still upset over the revelation of Yuya holding back in his duel from before.

Sora stared at her for a few seconds before nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders, "Nah, I'm over it." After thinking it over for a day or two, he decided not get too upset about it, seeing it wasn't really worth getting mad about it anymore.

Yuzu sighed in relief, "That's good." She then looked at Sora troubled, "But even though I do understand why you want to fight him, Reiji Akaba is not exactly a person you can get close to just like that."

Sora sighed and looked down, "Well I guess that's true since he is the president of the Leo Corporation."

Yuzu smiled at him, "So you do understand! Anyway, please come with me." She then grabbed his arm and began pulling him away while Sora was shocked, "Huh? Hey, wait, where are we going?!"

Yuzu looked back at him, "Just come with me!" Sora retorted, "Tell me first!" And soon, they were walking towards the opposite direction of the LDS building.

However, what Yuzu didn't know was that the masked duelist that was dueling Sawatari was watching her drag Sora away. Yuto narrowed his eyes, " _I wanted to get the chance to talk to her but...that boy…"_ He was getting a bad vibe from him for some reason and then he saw the uniform that boy is wearing. His eyes narrowed even more, " _Is he…?"_ He was now getting suspicious of the situation, " _I better follow them."_ He then walked off in their direction to make sure Yuzu would be okay.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (UNKNOWN) CONSTRUCTION SITE**

Masumi, Yaiba and Hokuto were standing in front of a construction site which was off limits right for everyone. Masumi looked at it with narrowed eyes, "According to rumors, the attack on Professor Marco happened right here."

Yaiba narrowed his eyes, "Well, at least this place looks very suspicious, in fact it would be a very good spot to ambush someone." Yaiba looked at the other two, "However, we were with Yuya Sakaki at the time it happened so he couldn't have done it, which most likely means that he wasn't the one who attacked Sawatari either." They had their suspicions for a while after their bout with You Show but didn't question it as they were just following orders.

Hokuto had his eyes narrowed as well, "True, but did they really restrict the site of the crime like this? Maybe there's something they don't want to show us."

Inside of the construction site, a lot of LDS officers looked at the walls where large claws marks were.

Masumi, having finally having enough, decided to lift the construction tape and walked under it, wanting to know what happened. Hokuto looked at her in surprise, "H-hey, Masumi!"

However, the port in front of them was pushed open and an officer got out, "Hey, what do you think you're doing here?"

The boys got a little worried that an officer had discovered them right after Masumi tried to sneak in, Masumi held up her hand to her chest in nervousness, "Uh… please listen, we're not troublemakers, sir. It's just, I'm Masumi Kotsu, a student of Professor Marco, the teacher of the Fusion course at LDS."

The man looked at Yaiba and Hokuto, "And who are you two?"

Yaiba nervously lowered his kendo sword that he had on his shoulder, "I-I'm Yaiba Todo and I'm from the Synchro course." Hokuto then spoke, "And I'm Hokuto Shijima from the Xyz course, officer."

Another officer then walked over to the first one and placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded his head with a smile. The first one nodded his head and step to the side while the second officer turned towards Masumi, Yaiba and Hokuto, "So you three are students at our school then." The three of them nodded their heads.

The officer walked towards them, "I see, so do you kids know what happened here?"

Masumi shook her head, "No, we only heard that Professor Marco got attacked here by someone, however we haven't been able to get any of the teachers or the secretary to tell us what happened here and told us that we couldn't see him yet. We just want to know that's all."

Yaiba looked at the officer, "Was he really attacked by someone during a duel?"

Hokuto gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, "I heard that the culprit behind the attack was an Xyz user, since I'm an Xyz user as well, I don't like hearing that people are abusing the method."

The officer gave them a kind smile, "I'm really sorry but we can't discuss the details with you guys, also we're still investigating it ourselves."

Masumi looked at the officer worried, "Is he okay? Is Professor Marco okay?"

The officer looked at her with an apologizing expression on his face, "I'm truly sorry, but I can't discuss that either." Masumi got a shocked expression on her face when she heard that. The officer placed a hand on her shoulder in reassurance, "But don't worry, the top brass of LDS will definitely find out what happened here."

He looked at all three of them, "So please, return to LDS and keep honing your skills by dueling, I think that would please Professor Marco the most." He looked down on Masumi again, "If you understand, please return to the school and leave this to us."

Yaiba nodded their heads, "Right." Masumi lowered her eyes to the ground in disappointment, "Right…"

The officer nodded before he walked back into the construction site while the first officer closed the port again.

Yaiba got a smirk on his face, "Man, those guys are so cool." Hokuto looked at him, "Of course they are, it's because they are the super elite unit that passed the pro test at the top of their class."

Yaiba looked at Hokuto, "Man I really want to become a part of LDS's top team and wear a uniform like that myself as soon as possible." Hokuto nodded his head, since he felt the same way that Yaiba did.

However Masumi had other things on her mind, why was the top team acting so secretly about what had happened to Marco? She then lifted the tape again and walked under it and ran away. Yaiba looked after, "Hey Masumi? Where are you going now?"

Masumi kept running while she answered him, "You two can return to LDS before me, I just have something else I need to check out."

Hokuto looked after her shocked, "Something else to check out?" Yaiba placed his kendo sword back on his shoulder, "That girl, when she makes up her mind there is no talking her out of it." Hokuto nodded as he agreed that Masumi could be a bit difficult to deal with once she her made up her mind.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR**

Soon after, Yuzu led Sora to the same warehouse where she confronted Sawatari and met Yuto, who dueled in her place against Sawatari for some reason.

Sora went inside the warehouse and turn to look at Yuzu in curiosity, "So, why did you bring me here Yuzu?"

Yuzu closed the port of the warehouse before walking towards Sora. Once she stood in front of him, she took a deep breath and then bowed while placing her hands in front of herself, "Please! Teach me how to use Fusion Summoning!"

Sora blinked for a second before have a look of shock on his face, "Huh? Teach you?" Was she seriously asking him that?

Yuzu nodded while Sora looked at her, "Right here?" Yuzu nodded before Sora looked confused, "But why…?" He was wondering where this came from out of nowhere.

Yuzu looked at him with both determined and pleading eyes, "I need to get stronger. I'm not enough as I am now!" While she asked Mikleo to teach her Ritual Summoning, she figured she could ask Sora to teach her Fusion Summoning as well.

Sora's blinked in confusion while they were widened, "Umm...are you still upset that you lost to that girl? What was her name, Masumi?" He had a theory is that was what it really was all about.

Yuzu had a sad frown on her face, which told Sora that he hit the nail on the head with his theory. She was then reminded of the frustration she felt when she lost against Masumi. Her eyes turned to the side before looking at Sora determined, "I want to become stronger so I can protect You Show as well. I want to win against Masumi Kotsu! That's why-!"

Sora, beginning to understand why, looked at her, "You want a Fusion user like me to teach you?"

Yuzu nodded her head before bowing to Sora again as she placed her hands together again, "Yes, so I'm begging you! Please teach me!"

Sora looked away, a little troubled, "Hmm, what should I do...?" How did he get into this mess? He doesn't exactly know to say or do in this situation.

Yuzu looked up with a disappointed expression on her face, "You can't do it?"

Sora looked more troubled as he saw Yuzu's sad expression, "No, it's not like I can't, I just…Is this really okay?" He was asking himself that question more so than Yuzu as he wasn't sure about this. Would it really be okay to teach Yuzu Fusion Summoning?

Sora looked at her, "If I taught you Fusion Summoning, then you'd definitely get stronger…" He's not sure if he's allowed to do this considering his position right now.

Yuzu then looked determined, "Then, it would be worth it right? Make me stronger so I won't lose to anyone!" Although she might be exaggerating a little, she definitely knows she will get stronger if she learns Fusion Summoning as well.

However, neither Sora nor Yuzu realize that they are being watched by Yuto, who was hiding behind some wooden boxes besides them. He was listening to their conversation and had his eyes narrowed when he heard what Yuzu said, " _Fusion…"_ He doesn't feel comfortable about this girl learning how to Fusion Summon especially considering the destruction that it brought to his home. He then looked at Sora suspiciously, " _The fact that he's wearing that uniform and knows Fusion confirms it…"_ That boy is indeed an Academia agent but he wonders why or what is he doing here and what is his relation to Yuzu? He decided to watch for now to see what happens next.

Sora stared at her for around half a minute before reluctantly sighing, "Fine...Well, first of all…" He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a card to hold it towards Yuzu, "This is the " _Polymerization"_ card. This Magic Card allows you to fuse Fusion Materials. That's the basics of Fusion Summoning, got it?"

Yuzu nodded her head, "Yeah, I got it." She then took the card from him to look at it.

Sora sighed before turning his head away, " _Ah geez, I'm really teaching her how to Fusion Summon. My one flaw is that I'm too nice of a person."_

Yuzu kept looking at the card before curiously looking at Sora, "For this card, the Fusion Materials can be in my hand or Field, right?" To her knowledge and from her experience in Masumi's duel, there are other Fusion cards that allow people to Fusion Summon using monsters from other areas beside the hand and Field so she wanted to be sure.

Sora snapped out of his thoughts to look at Yuzu, "Huh? Oh! Yeah, that's right." He then raised his hand, "But what's important is that you have all of the Fusion Materials for the monster you're summoning! Though, there are some exceptions…"

Yuzu nodded her head in understanding, "When you activate " _Polymerization"_ , the Materials go to the Graveyard...unless you're using Pendulum Monsters."

Sora tilted his head in confusion, "Huh? What do you mean by that?" How are Pendulum Monsters any different? He was curious as to what Yuzu meant by that.

Yuzu's eyes widened in realization, "Oh! That's right! You weren't with us before…" She had forgotten that Sora wasn't with them when Yuya was teaching them how to Pendulum Summon and the benefits from using the other methods.

Yuto, while having his eyes narrowed, was curious about what Yuzu said, " _Pendulum Monsters?"_ What kind of monsters are they? Was it some type of new Extra Deck summoning like when he found out about Fusion and Synchro?

Yuzu gave a small smile, "Well, basically Yuya taught me that if you use Pendulum Monsters as Fusion Material they can go to the Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard."

Sora's eye widened in surprise as he walked closer to Yuzu, "Huh?! Is that true?!" Now, he was really curious about Pendulum Monsters. Not only can be sent to the Extra Deck by being destroyed, they can sent there using Fusion Summoning as well? Is that Yuzu is saying?

Yuzu sweatdropped a little from Sora's anticipation, "Y-Yeah. Although they have to be on the field to be sent to the Extra Deck. If they are in your hand, they go to the Graveyard instead."

Sora was taken aback by this information, "I had no idea…" This was the first he has heard about this; then again, he just recently learned about Pendulum Summoning and now there are more advantages to using them when Fusion Summoning? He frowned a little, " _Aw, man. Now, I really wished I had Pendulum Monsters. I want to try that out."_ But wait, was that another thing Yuya was holding back on or did he just discover that recently…?

Yuzu looked at the _Polymerization_ card again, "Anyway, after you fuse the Materials, the Fusion Monster is summoned from the Extra Deck, right?"

Sora snapped out of his thoughts again before nodding to Yuzu, "...Oh! Yeah, that's pretty much it." However, after a couple seconds, he sensed a presence nearby them behind some wooden boxes and turned to them with narrowed eyes.

Yuto then narrowed his eyes, knowing that Sora had then discovered him. There wasn't any doubt in his mind: the uniform, the Fusion card, and his instincts confirms it. He is indeed one of Academia's agents, his enemies. Yuto then jumped off a steel beam above the boxes to get out of there as he didn't want to risk getting Yuzu involved in a battle between him and Sora.

Sora narrowed his eyes and chased after him. Yuzu got shocked as she saw him jump up on the boxes, "Huh? Sora, what are you doing?" Sora didn't answer as he jumped up on the steel beam but the masked duelist had already jumped off of it.

Sora jumped after him while he placed his Duel Disk on his arm and followed the masked duelist as they ran across the warehouse while Yuzu stared after them shocked since she had no idea what was going on here.

The masked duelist looked at Sora who was closing in on him and knew that he didn't have a choice but to fight now. He activated his Duel Disk and then used the wall in front of him as a springboard to launch himself towards Sora while the energy blade came out of his Duel Disk.

Sora jumped towards him while the energy blade came out of his Duel Disk as well. They collided with each other and sparks appeared as the energy blades clashed against each other.

The moment the two of them landed on the floor so did they jump backwards to get some distance from each other. Sora looked at the masked duelist with a determined expression on his face as he held out his Duel Disk ready to fight, "And just who are you?"

The masked duelist just stared at Sora without saying anything. Sora got a smirk on his face, "You're not from _here_ are you?" The masked duelist narrowed his eyes at the knowing tone in Sora's voice, "And neither are _you_!"

Yuzu pointed at the masked duelist, "Ah, you're from that time!" He looked at her, he had hoped that she wouldn't find out that he was there, since he didn't want her to get more involved with him and his comrades than she already was.

Sora looked at Yuzu shocked, "Huh? Yuzu, you know this guy?"

Yuzu nodded her head, "Yeah, he appeared here last time I was here. He was the one who dueled against Sawatari, not Yuya." She looked at the boy confused. She saw that he indeed had purple and black hair just like Yuto, who was described to her. She was hesitate but she had to ask as she looked at Yuto, "Are you...Yuto?"

Yuto's eyes widened in shock as Yuzu knows his name. Sora turned to Yuzu curiously, "Yuto?" Was that the name of this guy?

Yuto narrowed his eyes as he hesitatingly asked, "...How do you know my name?" How could Yuzu know his name? He never mentioned it at once to her. This might get him in trouble but he had to know as this was too suspicious.

Yuzu was surprised as he was really Yuto, Ruri's friend. She looked at him hastily, "Ruri told me. She's looking for you." She needed to talk to him, both wanting some answers and so she can help Ruri reunite with her friend.

Yuto's eyes widened in surprise, " _Ruri's...looking for me?"_ Did that mean she's okay? She is not in any danger right now? Actually, he scratched that as he was reminded of Sora being in the room right now.

Sora's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Ruri?" To hear Yuzu say that she knows about this Yuto because of her, made him question some things. His eyes widened in both surprise and irritation, " _Wait a minute! So she is one of them…!"_ He had some suspicions for a while as he caught Ruri acting strange the few times they saw Fusion Summoning and this confirms it. Sora clenched his fist in frustration, " _She...She tricked me!"_ Yuzu didn't see it but Yuto did which made him narrow his eyes more.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes at Yuto, "We've been looking for you for a while now. I need some answers as well. Are you the one behind the incident? The one where one of LDS' instructors was attacked?" Yuto stared at Yuzu when he heard that, which meant that he knew that Shun was on the move again.

Sora looked at Yuzu confused, "An incident? What are you talking about?" Yuzu looked at Sora, "Well, apparently the reason why Reiji Akaba left after during his duel with Yuya was because he heard that an LDS teacher had gotten attacked by an Xyz user."

Sora looked at her, "An LDS teacher was attacked… by an Xyz user?" He then got an understanding expression on his face, "Now I get it! That would explain all the guards that were posted in front of LDS."

Sora turned towards the masked duelist and pointed at him, "So… does that mean that you're the culprit this time as well?" The masked duelist narrowed his eyes at Sora but didn't say a word. He wanted to ask about Ruri from Yuzu but he can't with Sora in the room so he didn't know what to say.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes, confused, "If you really are Ruri's friend, then why are you doing this? Did you duel against Sawatari to protect me, cause I look like Ruri maybe, or do you have some sort of grudge against LDS? Either way you dueling against Sawatari caused a lot of trouble for my duel school and especially for my friend Yuya since you look just like him under that mask." She didn't want to meet him like this but everything that has happened had been boiling up to this point. She was tired of not knowing what's going on and she wanted some answers regardless if she's being a little harsh or not.

Sora got a shocked expression on his face when he heard that last part, "Huh, he does?" If this guy had the same face as Yuya then that would explain why the people from LDS thought that Yuya had been the one that attacked Sawatari.

The masked duelist narrowed his eyes while he felt troubled, apparently him taking his mask off after his duel against that Sawatari guy had caused troubles for Yuzu and her friends, especially that Yuya guy. Part of him had earlier hesitated to take it off, however since he has suspicions that Yuzu was the one he had been searching for he had taken the mask off to show that it was him, only to find out that Yuzu truly just looked like the girl he was searching for. He thought about Ruri, " _This is not the right time to ask."_ He'll have to ask about her later when it's safer but, for now, he's being confronted because of his and Shun's actions against LDS. He looked at Yuzu troubled, wondering if he should tell her, "My reason? That's…"

However, they suddenly heard the port open up roughly, "So you're the culprit!" The masked duelist turned his eyes towards the door while Sora and Yuzu turned around and Yuzu's eyes widened when she saw who stood there, "Masumi?"

Masumi ignored Yuzu and Sora and walked forward, "What did you do to Professor Marco? Answer me, you bastard!" She finally found something and she was determined to get some answers as well.

Yuzu looked at Masumi shocked, "What are you doing here?"

Masumi narrowed her eyes, "I thought I might find a clue or something if I went to the place where the first incident happened, however if you have been hiding here all along then it saved me a lot of time searching for you." She placed her Duel Disk on her arm.

Yuto narrowed his eyes as he didn't know who this Marco was but assumed he was an LDS member by the looks of it. Shun might have dueled him so he isn't the one who carded him. Either way, he doesn't know what to say.

Yuzu stood in front of Masumi and held out her arms, "Wait a minute, Masumi! I'm still talking to him."

Masumi glared at Yuzu, "Well, I have things to say to this guy first, and once I crush him he will tell me what happened to Professor Marco."

Yuzu glared at her confused, "What are you even talking about? Also, it hasn't been proven if he's the culprit." She wasn't going to believe that Yuto was responsible for the incident since he is Ruri's friend but she just wanted some answers as he might be involved somehow.

Masumi pointed at the mask duelist who looked up at them again, "We will know if he's the culprit if he uses Xyz Summoning."

Sora looked towards the masked duelist, "Yeah, since you was the one who dueled against Sawatari that day you must be an Xyz user, and I would like to test that for myself, to see if you're a _true_ Xyz user."

The masked duelist narrowed his eyes, "You seem to already know the answer, like I know that you're a _true_ Fusion user."

Yuzu looked at the two of them, she had no idea what they were talking about but she could feel tension growing between them.

Masumi however held out her arm, "Enough stalling! Duel me now!" She activated her Duel Disk ready to fight.

Yuzu however stepped in front of her and held out her arms, "Hold on a minute! Just stop already, I need answers first!" Masumi gritted her teeth and were about to argue.

However, Yuzu's bracelet soon was glowing which illuminated the entire area and blinding all four of them. Yuto then turned into particles and vanished, not knowing what's happening either.

Once the light died out, Yuzu turned around when she saw Masumi's shocked expression and her eyes widened when she saw that the masked duelist were gone, "He's gone." Masumi said shocked since he had just vanished right before their eyes.

Yuzu looked at her bracelet shocked, "It's just like last time." Then, at the next moment she heard a voice call out to her, "Yuzu! Are you okay? If you're here, answer me!"

Yuzu turned towards the doors when she heard Yuya's voice and saw him stopped in front of the warehouse and had a relieved look on his face when he saw her, "There you are! The principal was worried since you didn't answer him when he called and asked me to look for you. What are you even doing here?" Wasn't this the same place where she supposedly met Yuto and Sawatari here?

Masumi narrowed her eyes when she saw Yuya, "Yuya Sakaki!? Then you're really working with that guy!?"

Yuya looked a little surprised by who was with Yuzu, "Huh? Masumi Kotsu? And Sora, too? What are you both doing here?"

Masumi didn't answer as she quickly walked up to Yuya and grabbed his shirt, "Where is he?!" Yuya was taken aback, confused over what she was talking about, "Huh? Who?"

Masumi gritted her teeth as she tighten her hold on his shirt, "Don't play dumb! Tell me where that guy went right now!" She was getting more frustrated and desperate but didn't show it except the frustration.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, feeling more confused while calmly replying, "I don't know who "he" is alright."

Yuzu quickly ran up to them and pushed them apart, "Let him go, Masumi! Yuya doesn't know anything."

Masumi glared at her suspiciously, "And how do you know that? First, he disappears and then the next second…" She then pointed at Yuya, "...he shows up instead!"

Yuya raised an eyebrow, "What are you guys talking about?"

Yuzu looked down at her bracelet in confusion, "Just like last time…" Yuya stared in confusion for a second before remembering what the Yuzu and the other girls said about their bracelets before. He narrowed his eyes in curiosity, " _Wait...did that mean Yuto was here?"_ He isn't sure as he still doesn't completely understand why Yuzu's bracelet does that.

Masumi glared at Yuya as she wasn't buying it and then raised her fist, "Give it a rest and just get him already!" Yuya was about to tell him once again that he has no idea what she's talking about.

However, at that moment, Sora shouted from outside, "Ah, there he is!" All of them look at him shocked and saw him point in the direction Yuya came from. He looked at Masumi, "I saw him just now! He ran in that direction, hurry up and catch him or he will get away again!"

Masumi gritted her teeth, "Damn it, you won't get away from me." She pushed past Yuya and ran in the direction that Sora had pointed at.

Yuya and Yuzu looked at Sora confused, "Did you really see someone run in that direction?"

Sora smiled when Yuya asked that and walked towards him, "I lied! I knew she would never believe you even though I could tell that you didn't know anything. Also if she hung around here, she would've gotten in the way of our training."

Yuya looked at Yuzu and Sora, back and forth in confusion and curiosity, "Hold on, training? What training? And right here?"

Sora nodded his head, "Yeah, she said that she for sure will…" However, his face then got a look of realization, "Could it be… you wanted to keep learning Fusion Summoning from me a secret from Yuya?"

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, " _Yuzu learning how to Fusion Summon?"_

Yuzu, who was staring at her bracelet for a second, heard what Sora said and had a panicked look on her face as she have her left hand, "...Huh? Oh! No! No, I just...didn't get to around to mentioning it earlier." She wanted to tell Yuya either later in the day back at You Show or tomorrow but now is fine with her as well.

Yuya's eyes blinked in confusion before having a smile on his face, "You're learning Fusion Summoning? That's great, Yuzu!" He honestly felt happy for her as she learning a new summoning method for her Deck.

Yuzu smiled a little while nodding her head, "Thank you, Yuya." For some reason, she thought that Yuya might have had a different reaction to her learning this method but seeing it now brought a smile to her face.

Yuya then looked a little confused as he thought of something, "But...if you wanted to learn Fusion Summoning, why didn't you ask for my help?" It wasn't that he minded that Yuzu chose Sora to teach her Fusion Summoning; he was just curious as to why she didn't mention this before or at least asked him to help her which he would have gladly done so.

Yuzu seemed a little hesitate to answer, "Well...with the Maiami Championship coming up, I figured that you would want to put more time and effort into getting your win rate up so I didn't want to bother you with my request." The both of them honestly don't have much time left to prepare for Maiami Championship and she figured she would slow Yuya down if she asked him to teach her again which she really didn't want to happen.

Yuya stared at her for a second, wondering if she was serious, before he smiled sweetly, "Yuzu, even though the tournament is coming up, I would have helped you no matter what. You know that right?"

Yuzu smiled knowingly, "...Yeah. I know but still I didn't want to trouble you." Yuya smiled a little in response.

Yuya then remembered something, "Oh yeah! Guess what? I think I found a way to get the both of us enough matches to qualify for the tournament. You remember Nico Smiley?"

Yuzu raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Strong Ishijima's manager? Yes, I remember him."

Yuya then began to tell what happened when he encountered Nico again in You Show and how he managed to ask him to get him and Yuzu some matches. After hearing all of that, Yuzu smiled in gratitude, "That's great, for the both of us. Thank you, Yuya." Yuya smiled in response.

Sora looked at Yuya, "Hey, what is this Championship thing you're talking about Yuya? Can I enter it as well?" He pointed at himself.

Yuya got a troubled expression on his face, "I'm not sure, you haven't dueled 50 times since you came to Maiami City right? And even if you have, you would need at least a 60% win ratio, in other words, win at least 30 of the 50 duels in order to participate."

Sora got a disappointed look on his face, "I can't enter? Oh man, I really wanted to join the Championship with Yuya."

Yuya then had a small smile on his face, "Well, there is another option. If you can win 6 duels in a row, then technically you can qualify for the tournament."

Sora got a happy smile on his face, "Really? Awesome! If I just have to win six matches, then it will be a piece of cake. So Yuya, can you ask that Nico person to help me find six opponents so I can enter as well?"

Yuya gave him a troubled smile, "S-Sure I'll see if he can find six opponents for you." Yuya then turned around and looked at Yuzu who was still staring at her bracelet with a smile on his face, " _I see, so that's what she meant, she must have felt that she need to get stronger after that duel against Masumi."_

Meanwhile, as she staring at her bracelet, she was pondering some things, " _I managed to find Yuto but then I lost him."_ She was a little disappointed that she couldn't reunite him with Ruri but she started to wonder, " _What exactly is going on with LDS and Yuto? Does Ruri know anything about this?"_ She has no idea; but what she does know is that when she sees Yuto again, she needs to talk to him about what's going on.

* * *

 **Sorry, no duel this time cause mainly this chapter was mostly for progression and character development.**

 **Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **A Samurai's Spirit -** Wanting to become strong and not "weak" anymore, Gongenzaka finds Yaiba and requests that he teaches him Synchro Summoning. Yaiba accepts only under the condition if Gongenzaka beats him in a rematch. As Yuzu learns more about Ritual Summoning and Fusion Summoning, Mikleo investigates LDS but then encounters a mysterious person...

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	13. A Samurai's Spirit

**Thank you to everyone who sent messages, read and/or reviewed the last chapter.**

 **Although, there were clearly a lot of guest reviews than last time. Not that I mind, but I can't respond to guest reviews very much if they have the same name. Also, please do me a favor, if you're going to do a guest review, at least use a name for it instead of leaving it at the default (For example, there's** _ **Knightdragon**_ **and** _ **Drago**_ **). I feel like someone is just spamming these reviews since they looked like they were written by one person (Seriously, I think one person did ten guest reviews so I had to delete them). Just so you know, I can't stand spam messages or reviews. If the same person keeps spamming messages/reviews in the future, I might be forced to delete them as I had to before. Just keep your comments in one or two reviews (at least for guest reviews).**

 **Anyway, here's some responses:**

 _ **Kingjeremy134**_ **\- No, Chihaya will not be Mikleo's love interest. Also, you don't need to repeat the same review. I response to these comments when I post a new chapter. Otherwise, thanks for the question.**

 _ **Above the Winter Moonlight**_ **\- Thanks for the comment. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 13 - A Samurai's Spirit**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HIRAGI RESIDENCE**

It was a bright, early morning as Yuzu exited the bathroom, feeling refreshed with a white towel over her shoulders as she just finished bathing. Instead of her school uniform, she was now wearing a casual pink dress and white shorts for today. She took a deep breath as the morning sun from the window shined on her. She put the towel into the laundry basket and went into the living room. She then saw Ruri and Rin doing morning exercises but, instead of their usual attire, today Ruri was wearing just a purple shirt and gray yoga pants while Rin was wearing a yellow shirt and gray shorts. The television in the room was turned on which showed an exercising show that told Ruri and Rin what to do.

Ruri was stretching her legs before noticing Yuzu and she smiled, "Oh, good morning Yuzu." She figured that Yuzu must have gotten out of the shower due to her hair being wet. Rin was lying her back, doing leg circles, when she saw Yuzu as well, "Good morning."

Yuzu smiled back at her, "Good morning, Ruri. Rin. You're doing morning exercises?" She didn't thing Ruri did exercising but it was good for her to do them.

Ruri then got on her back to do hip lifts as she spoke, "Yeah, it's always good to be in shape." There were two reasons she did this: It was cause she actually enjoys exercising and it keeps her figure balanced; it was also because it might help her to be in shape against future battles against Fusion. She doesn't like using that second reason but it is the truth.

Rin then got on her back as well to do hip lifts, "Ruri has been helping me working out a lot during the mornings." She guessed that Yuzu must have slept through some of their routines but lately Ruri has been doing exercising during the mornings and, during one morning she saw Ruri, Rin wanted to do it as well so it has been going on for a while.

Yuzu smiled at the two of them, "Mind if I join you?" She wanted to exercise as well since she had nothing to do right now during the mornings. Plus, it will give some girl time with Ruri and Rin.

Both Ruri and Rin were both lifting their hips while speaking, "Sure!" Yuzu nodded in response before soon after she joined Ruri and Rin in exercising as well. Soon after, Yuzu was lying on her back with Ruri and Rin while lifting her hips back and forth. The three girls also did other exercises such as leg circles and crunches.

After a few minutes, Shuzo walked into the kitchen and soon saw the three girls exercising on the living room floor. He was smiling at the fact that all three girls were getting along so well ever since he "adopted" Ruri and Rin into the family. Technically, he just allowed to Ruri and Rin to stay with them for the time being cause they didn't have a home right now. Nowadays, they almost feel like part of the family and it was good to see Yuzu hanging out with female friends for a change. WIth the way they get along, a thought crossed his mind that it was almost like they were treating each other like sisters but that's just his opinion.

Shuzo called out to them, "Good morning, girls!" The girls couldn't turn their heads but happily replied at the same time, "Good morning!" Shuzo then proceeded to make some coffee while being a little cheerful, "You three seem to enjoying yourselves so I'm going to make breakfast for you all!" The girls replied back, "Okay!" Shuzo then got some eggs and bacon from the fridge and proceeded to cook them.

Meanwhile, the girls were trying to stay still as their hips were still lifted into the air. Rin turned her head towards Yuzu in curiosity, "So Yuzu, you're going to meet Mikleo to learn Ritual Summoning today?"

Yuzu grunted a little before smiling, "Yeah, I'm supposed to meet him during the afternoon."

Rin slowly nodded her head, "I see."

Ruri could hear the curiosity in Rin's voice and tilted her head a little towards them, "Rin, are you maybe interested in what Ritual Summoning is?" She saw the hesitation and curiosity from Rin yesterday and wondered if that was the reason then.

Rin just smiled back, "Well...actually, yes. Although, I guess I'm also interested about the other methods such as Fusion and Xyz." She had to admit, she was curious about the new summoning methods she recently learned about. She doesn't know if she wants to learn about them but she is, at the very least, interested in them.

Ruri couldn't help but frown when she heard Rin mention the word Fusion as it still brought back painful memories of her home's destruction. She quickly masked the frown with a fake smile, "...I see. Good for you, Rin."

Yuzu and Rin heard the slight hesitation in her voice and Rin, although she couldn't turn her head all of the way, saw at the corner of her eyes Ruri frowning a little for a second which confused her. Was it something she said? Yuzu, however, narrowed her eyes and gave off a sad frown, " _Ruri…"_ She was still concerned about Ruri and what she could be hiding although, with what she's about to share next, Yuzu doesn't know if Ruri would be too happy about it or not.

Yuzu just decided to go for it as she bluntly said, "...I'm also learning Fusion Summoning." She basically decided to just get it out of the way since she probably needed to tell Ruri about this eventually.

Ruri processed what Yuzu just said for a second before looking shocked, "...Wait, what?!" She was so taken aback by what Yuzu said that she lost her balance and her back tilted towards Yuzu and Rin, making her crash to the floor while taking the other two with her. All three girls yelped in surprise as they landed back on the floor fully with a thud. The three of them were groaning in a pain a little from not landing properly back on the floor.

Shuzo, who was scrambling eggs, heard the thud and looked over in concern, "Everything okay in there, girls?"

The three girls were still groaning a little before Yuzu raised her head back up, "We're fine, dad!" Shuzo blinked in confusion before turning to his attention to making breakfast again.

Ruri recovered as well as she looked at Yuzu in confusion, "...Did I hear you right? You're learning Fusion?" She wanted to make sure she heard that right.

Yuzu looked a little reluctant, "...Yeah. I am. I asked Sora to start teaching me yesterday." She wondered if Ruri would be okay with this especially considering Ruri isn't exactly happy whenever she sees Fusion Summoning.

Rin soon recovered and look at Yuzu with a smile, "Really? That's great, Yuzu!" She said that with both excitement and joy for Yuzu before noticing Yuzu's troubled face. She then turned her head and saw that Ruri was looking more troubled than ever before, leaving Rin really confused.

Ruri looked down at the ground as she doesn't know how to feel about this. Why would Yuzu want to learn Fusion? Ruri narrowed her eyes as she raised her head to look at Yuzu, "...Why...would you want to learn Fusion?" She tried to be as calm as possible without spilling out her deepest emotions as Fusion itself brought out the worst in her whether she wants to or not.

Yuzu frowned a little from seeing Ruri looking troubled but then looked determined, "...It's for myself." Now, Ruri was more confused, "What?" Yuzu steeled her resolve, "Look Ruri, I know you don't like Fusion but it's not a bad thing to me anyway. I want to learn it not just to become stronger as a duelist but also to protect You Show."

Ruri was a little taken aback, "Using Fusion to protect others?" The thought of using Fusion to protect others didn't cross her mind before. She might have seen subtle hints from Yuya and so on but she didn't think about it that much. From everything she talked about everything regarding Fusion to Yuya and Yuzu, this makes her more confused but she was also reminded of what Fusion has done to her home as well which made her frown a little.

Rin was a little surprised by what Yuzu just said and look to Ruri in confusion, " _Ruri hates Fusion Summoning?"_ This was the first she has heard of this and wondered what happened.

Yuzu looked at Ruri, who was not saying anything and just staring at the floor, in concern, " _Ruri…"_ She is trying to reach out to Ruri and show her that she can trust her with everything she holding up inside. Maybe she's hiding to protect them from whatever but she isn't afraid if its for her friend. Though she accepted to learn Fusion Summoning mainly to become stronger, she thought maybe could try to show Ruri that Fusion Summoning isn't as bad as she might think it is though it doesn't look like she's convinced yet.

Ruri was thinking for a minute, not knowing what exactly to think or do. She wants to spill out why she doesn't like Fusion Summoning for real but she's trying to keep her mouth shut which frustrates her. With that in mind, she decided to stand up, to the other girls' confusion. She turned around with her back facing Yuzu and Rin, "I'm going to out for a bit…" She said that with reluctance in her voice. She then started walking away.

Rin was a little surprised as she stood up, "W-Wait, Ruri!" She didn't what was going on but she wanted to stop her to try and talk to her but she didn't stop. Yuzu frowned a little in sadness as she felt bad for making Ruri confused.

Ruri walked into the kitchen where Shuzo was finished making scrambled eggs. Shuzo turned to Ruri with a smile on his face, "Ah, Ruri! I have breakfast ready for you girls!" However, he then noticed Ruri was staring at the floor with a frown on her face, confusing him and wondering what was wrong.

Ruri raised her head to look at Shuzo with a sad smile, "Thank you, Shuzo. But I'm not hungry right now." Shuzo's eyes blinked in confusion as Ruri continued walking as she left the house.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

After around a couple hours, Yuzu and the others were at You Show. When they arrived they saw Yuya sitting on the couch, looking over his deck for a minute.

He then noticed Yuzu and Rin as he raised his head and looked at them with a smile, "Hey girls. What's up?" Yuzu and Rin both gave off a sad smile and waved back slowly as they walked towards him.

Yuya, confused by the girls' behavior, noticed that Ruri isn't with them and looked more confused, "Where's Ruri?"

Yuzu and Rin looked at each other in reluctance before Yuzu spoke, "She's...not with us right now."

Yuya raised an eyebrow in confused, "...Why? What happened?"

Yuzu and Rin both told Yuya what had happened earlier this morning when Yuzu shared that she was learning Fusion Summoning as well which didn't sit well with Ruri. Immediately after hearing that, Yuya made a sound of understanding as he knew what it meant now, " _Ohh...Now, I see why."_

Rin apparently wasn't told of Ruri's dislike for Fusion so Yuzu told her about what she knows a little after Ruri left. After that, Rin felt sad for Ruri and wondered if there was something she could do to help later on.

Yuzu sighed in disappointment, "I was hoping maybe I could help try to open up more by showing her that Fusion Summoning might not be a bad thing though it didn't go so well." Although she can't really call any of it progress since all she said was that she's learning about Fusion Summoning and why she wants to. She didn't really ask from Ruri's perspective to which she's being stubborn in not saying anything.

Yuya hummed in thought, "Hmm…" He wondered what to do for a minute before getting up from his chair. Yuya looked at Yuzu and Rin with a small smile, "Tell you what, I'll go look for Ruri and see if I can try and cheer her up like last time." He then began walking away from the room toward the outside.

Rin looked at Yuya in both curiosity and confusion, "But...aren't you still waiting for Nico to come back?" She wondered if Yuya was okay with this since he's technically waiting for Nico reply back with some news on potential opponents.

Yuya stopped and turned to them with a smile, "It's fine. Besides, Yuzu has training with both my brother and Sora, and you have to teach the kids some lessons on Synchro Summoning with the Principal." Yuya waved goodbye, "Good luck you two."

Yuzu and Rin looked to each other in confusion for a minute, wondering if Yuya would be okay with helping Ruri. Then again, they probably have nothing to worry about. They heard the door shut as Yuya left.

"Well, that was interesting." Both of them heard a voice and turned to see Mikleo leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

Yuzu looked at Mikleo, "Mikleo…" He then opened his eyes to look at the two girls, "Well, I'm sure my brother can help comfort Ruri." He then stood up fully from the wall, "In the meantime, are you ready to get started Yuzu?"

Yuzu nodded with resolve, "Yeah."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LDS**

Yaiba and Hokuto stood in front of the LDS building as they watched many LDS members that wearing uniforms exiting the building. Hokuto watched them with amazement, "It's amazing how many members the top team has." He turned to Yaiba with a curious expression, "Yaiba, where is Masumi?"

Yaiba sighed a little as he waved his kendo up and down, "That girl went off to find anything about our attackers again." Honestly, he would have tried to stop her, but she wouldn't have listened anyway.

Hokuto was a little surprised, "Again? What is with that girl…?" He gets confused sometimes by what Masumi is thinking since he first met her. He held a hand on his forehead, "I mean, I get that members of our school got attacked but she's taking this more seriously than I would have thought. What's up with that?"

Yaiba shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows? Honestly, I don't know what goes through that girl's head." It wasn't like they were friends with Masumi. After all, they simply got acquainted with each other because the chairwoman requested them for dueling against You Show. After that, he and Hokuto actually got along pretty well but Masumi, while she hasn't shown hate or dislike towards them, she hasn't exactly been friendly with them either so they aren't really that close with her to understand. She mostly just treats them like acquaintances and nothing else.

Hokuto then had a idea pop in his head as he had a small teasing smile on his face, "Maybe Masumi has a crush on Professor Marco and that's why she's desperate to find him?"

Yaiba, however, just tapped his kendo on his shoulders, "...Nah, I don't think that's it." While it is a possibility, he can't help but think that there's more to this than they know and it involves Masumi's behavior.

Hokuto turned to look at Yaiba with a curious smile, "Oh yeah? Well, what do you…!" He stopped and had a shocked look on his face as he noticed as someone walking up to them. Yaiba, noticing Hokuto being silent, turned and saw, to his shock, Gongenzaka walking up to them.

Hokuto took a step back while Yaiba stood still in surprise as Gongenzaka stopped in front of him. Yaiba could feel Gongenzaka's fighting spirit as he looked down on him with a determined expression on his face.

Yaiba pulled down his kendo sword that he had had on his shoulder and got into a fighting position, "W-what do you want? You wanna go? You wanna face me again, right here and now?"

However, Gongenzaka fell down on his knees the next moment and placed his hands on the ground as he bowed to Yaiba, "I, the man Gongenzaka, have a request for a fellow man." Yaiba got a shocked on his face as he stared at Gongenzaka who was lying on the ground. Hokuto then looked shocked as well, wondering what was happening.

Yaiba, while still confused, turned to Hokuto, "...Hokuto, you go back. I think I need to handle this alone."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Mikleo and Yuzu were standing inside the arena, facing each other. Rin was in another room where she was teaching the kids some things about Synchro Monsters and Shuzo was once again in the control room checking on the equipment.

Mikleo crossed his arms in front of himself, "Alright, Yuzu do you remember how Ritual Summoning works?"

Yuzu looked at her Saffira card, "If I remember...you activate a Magic Card that allows you to tribute monsters to summon the Ritual Monster. Kinda like Fusion Summon."

Mikleo nodded, "Right, except there are some key differences there." He placed his index finger on her card, "Ritual Monsters don't belong in the Extra Deck. They go into the main deck which could lead into some more advantages depending on how your deck is built." Mikleo raised his head to look at Yuzu, "Although, keep in mind, there are a lot of Ritual Magic Cards that require a Ritual Monster to be in your hand as well in order to summon it. In most cases, you gotta have both the Ritual Monster and Ritual Magic Card in order to Ritual Summon while also tributing monsters with enough levels required."

Yuzu looked at her card curiously before pulling out another card which was Saffira's Ritual Magic, "So, you're saying that, in Saffira's case, I have to have both Saffira and her Ritual Magic in order to summon her?" It might be a little difficult but she doesn't think its a problem since it is basic enough.

Mikleo nodded again, "Exactly. It's unfortunate but that's what has to be done for Saffira. There are some Ritual Magics that allow you Ritual Summon from your Deck or Graveyard as well like my brother's Mystic Glow for example."

Yuzu nodded in understanding, "Yeah. Also like how Reiji Akaba's Magic worked for Ritual Summoning." She was reminded how both him and Yuya performed Ritual Summoning which she guessed that Yuya summoned his from his hand while Reiji summoned it from his deck.

Mikleo looked at the ceiling when he heard Reiji's name, "Yeah…" His mind then brought up when Yuya had his duel with Reiji and he revealed that Reiji was the one who ordered Sawatari to take his brother's Pendulum Cards. While he still doesn't know, he is more curious as to what made Reiji leave especially since their duel ended in a draw. He was now curious as he narrowed his eyes, " _Hmm...Maybe I should look into this."_

But before that, he lowered his head to look at Yuzu, "Well, before you start trying that out in a actual duel, I suggest we practice a little with how this works. So, you ready?"

Yuzu looked at Mikleo with a small smile before nodding, "Yeah."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - CENTRAL PARK**

Gongenzaka and Yaiba were staring at each other down from a few feet away while there was no one else in the park except for a couple people by the benches and the fountain.

Yaiba narrowed his eyes in confusion, "So, what's this all about?" He was confused as to what he could want with him. He heard him asking a favor so now he's curious.

Gongenzaka stared down at Yaiba for around half a minute with Yaiba standing his ground. Then, to Yaiba's surprise, Gongenzaka once again bowed on his knees in front of Yaiba, "I need to ask a favor. I need you to teach me Synchro Summoning!"

Yaiba's eyes blinked in confusion before processing what Gongenzaka just said as he narrowed his eyes, "Huh?" Did he hear that right? Teach him Synchro Summoning? To a man that's not even a part of LDS? He placed his kendo on his shoulder as he looked more confused.

Gongenzaka stood back up as he gave a look of resolve to Yaiba, "I want your help. I need you to teach me Synchro Summoning." He needed to be clear as Yaiba still seemed confused.

Yaiba narrowed his eyes as he wasn't put off by the fact that someone, that's not an LDS member, is asking for his guidance but rather that this seem to come out of nowhere. To his curiosity, Yaiba tapped his kendo on his shoulder as he looked at Gongenzaka, "Where is this coming from? Why are you asking for my help? We're not even in the same school. We're enemies." He said that bluntly as he was mostly curious about what Gongenzaka's response would be.

Gongenzaka closed his eyes, "...My best friend has gotten stronger while I was left in the dust defending You Show. As recall our duel, I wasn't strong enough." He then held a fist in front of him, "I must become stronger as the successor of the Gongenzaka Dojo! For both me and Yuya!"

Yaiba looked at him in curiosity for a few seconds before a small smile grew on his face and he started chuckling a little, "Haha! Interesting. Very interesting." He then closed his eyes to think for a minute while Gongenzaka just watched.

Then, Yaiba opened his eyes and gave Gongenzaka an intrigued smile, "...I'll agree to do it under one condition."

Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes, "What do you want?"

Yaiba's smile grew into a smirk as he tapped his kendo up and down his shoulder, "See, you remember our last duel? That ended in a draw and I'm not exactly satisfied with that." He then pointed his kendo at Gongenzaka, "So, here's the deal. I want a rematch with you and if you beat me, I'll teach you how to Synchro Summon. Deal?" Ever since he drew with Gongenzaka, Yaiba hasn't exactly been relaxed since this guy actually managed to make it into a tie. He wasn't going to be satisfied unless there was a decisive victory. So, he figured why not add that condition in exchange for teaching Synchro Summoning to someone not from LDS.

Gongenzaka then flared up as his spirit was burning with his duel disk brought out, "I accept the challenge!" He had to take this chance in order to prove his resolve.

Yaiba looked satisfied as he brought out his duel disk, "That's more like it!" After a few seconds, both duelists put their disks on their arms and activated them, ready to begin the duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **GONGENZAKA LP: 4000  
** **YAIBA LP: 4000**

Yaiba raised his duel disk, "Since you went first last time, I'll go this time!" He drew his card, "Draw!" He grabbed another card in his hand, "I summon XX-Saber Boggarknight ( **ATK: 1900** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4)!" Boggarknight was brought onto Yaiba's field.

Yaiba smirked at Gongenzaka, "You remember last time? When this monster is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below "X-Saber" monster from my hand." He revealed a card, "I Special Summon, the Tuner monster, X-Saber Palomio ( **ATK: 200** , DEF: 300, LV: 1)!" Yaiba brought a green reptilian that wore silver armor on its legs and arms; it was also carrying a small rapier that had a yellow stone in the middle of it.

Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes, " _A Tuner…"_ He knew what was coming next.

Yaiba smirked even more as he held out his hand, "I tune my Level 1 Palomio with my Level 4 Boggarknight ( **1 + 4 = 5** )!" Palomio turned into a single green energy ring that surrounded Boggarknight.

"Hunter that's faced hardships! Embrace your destiny to overcome death! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 5! X-Saber Wayne ( **ATK: 2100** , DEF: 400, LV: 5)!" Yaiba summoned a warrior monster that resembled a cowboy wearing a blue garb with black clothing underneath while having white tape on his arms. There was a yellow metal shoulder guard on his right shoulder in which he was also carrying a bayonet with his right hand.

Gongenzaka didn't say anything and just narrowed his eyes, already expecting this to happen.

Yaiba just kept his smirk on his face, "When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below Warrior monster from my hand! I Special Summon, the Tuner monster, XX-Saber Fulhelmknight (ATK: 1300, **DEF: 1000** , LV: 3)!" Wayne shot a bullet into the air in which Fulhelmknight was brought out as well.

Yaiba placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

Gongenzaka drew his card, "My turn, draw!" From both the force of his draw and resolve, it created a small shockwave like last time.

Gongenzaka looked at his hand before showing one of them, "When there are no Magic or Trap cards in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Big Wara-G (ATK: 800, **DEF: 1800** , LV: 5) from my hand!"

Gongenzaka pointed at his monster, "Big Wara-G counts as 2 monsters when using it to Tribute Summon a "Superheavy Samurai" monster! I tribute Big Wara-G in order to Tribute Summon Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K (ATK: 1000, **DEF: 3500** , LV: 8, PS: 4)!" Wara-G was released as soon it as it got onto the field and, in a beam of light, Gongenzaka's ace monster appeared in which is one of Gongenzaka's new Pendulum Monsters as well.

Yaiba scoffed a little, "I knew you'd bring out your ace monster." He then narrowed his eyes as he noticed something, " _But wait...did he say Pendulum Ben-K?"_ As he recalled, it was Big Ben-K the last time he faced it so what's with the name change? Hearing the word "Pendulum" makes him wonder…

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to think as Gongenzaka wasn't done since he held a card in his hand, "I equip Pendulum Ben-K with Superheavy Samurai Soul Double Horn (ATK: 0, DEF: 300, LV: 1)!" A machine that resembled a samurai armor with tan colored padding and golden metallic lines around it appeared on the field; it also had two blue horns with one on each side of it. The machine then equipped onto Ben-K's back which made Yaiba clicked his tongue, making him wonder what it does.

Gongenzaka pointed at Yaiba, "Battle! Pendulum Ben-K attacks X-Saber Wayne!" Ben-K lunged forward with its staff toward Wayne.

Yaiba just smirked at this, "Fulhelmknight's monster effect! Once per turn, I can negate an attack from my opponent's monster!" After he said that, Ben-K missed his lunge as the staff hit the floor beside Wayne.

Yaiba shrugged his shoulders with a smile, "Too bad for you but you won't be able to deal damage this turn."

However, Gongenzaka retorted, "No! When Ben-K is equipped with Soul Double Horn, it can attack twice each Battle Phase!" Hearing that made Yaiba looked shocked for a moment.

"Pendulum Ben-K attacks Wayne once again!" This time Ben-K used its fist to punch the ground which caused a fissure that destroyed Wayne. Yaiba held one arm in front of him while grunting a little from the damage.

 **YAIBA LP: 4000→2600**

Yaiba narrowed his eyes a little, "When my "X-Saber" monster is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can pay 500 LP bring back X-Saber Palomio ( **DEF: 300** )!" Palomio was brought back in Wayne's place.

 **YAIBA LP: 2600** → **2100**

Gongenzaka looked at Yaiba neutrally, "I end my turn with that."

Yaiba scoffed a little, "Persistent like before." He then drew his card, "But not bad." He looked at his current hand before looking at Gongenzaka's monster, " _I'm curious about the "Pendulum" in its name but he didn't have any Pendulums from our last fight. As far as I know, only Yuya Sakaki and Reiji Akaba have Pendulums."_ He then smiled, " _No matter. Whatever the name change is about won't matter in the slightest."_ Regardless of what he suspects it might be, he's not going to back down from this duel.

Yaiba revealed a card in his hand which was Faultroll, "You remember this guy right?"

Gongenzaka nodded while narrowing his eyes a little, "XX-Saber Faultroll. You can Special Summon that card when you have two or more "X-Saber" monsters on your field."

Yaiba smirked at Gongenzaka's answer, "That's right! And that's exactly what I'm going to do. I Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1800, LV: 6)!" Faultroll was summoned to Yaiba's field.

Yaiba showed another card in his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Sabers' Gathering which allows me to draw 2 cards." Yaiba was able to draw 2 cards because he had 3 or more "X-Saber" monsters on his field.

"I summon XX-Saber Darksoul ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 100, LV: 3)!" Yaiba summoned a warrior that resembled a reaper that had a red garb around his neck, was wearing dark clothing underneath and carrying a scythe.

Yaiba pointed at his monsters, "I now tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight with my Level 3 Darksoul!" Fulhelmknight turned into three green energy rings that surrounded Darksoul, "Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 6! XX-Saber Hyunlei ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1300, LV: 6)!" Yaiba summoned a female warrior that had a visor over her eyes and she was carrying a silver sword while wearing golden armor and a red tunic.

"When XX-Saber Hyunlei is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy up to 3 Magic or Trap Cards on the field!" Hyunlei sent a shockwave from her sword that destroyed Double Horn.

"And just like before, Faultroll's effect allows me to Special Summon a Level 4 or below "X-Saber" from my Graveyard! I bring back Fulhelmknight ( **ATK: 1300** )!" Fulhelmknight was brought back when Faultroll stabbed the ground when his sword.

Yaiba smirked a little as he held out his hand, "I tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight with my Level 6 Hyunlei ( **3 + 6 = 9** )!" Fulhelmknight turned into three green energy rings that surrounded Hyunlei, "Let your silver armor shine! Crush the hope of all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 9! XX-Saber Gottoms ( **ATK: 3100** , DEF: 2600, LV: 9)!" Gottoms appeared on Yaiba's field.

Yaiba then looked at Gongenzaka with a confident smile, "Now, you're probably thinking that Gottoms isn't strong enough yet. Well, I have a solution for that!" Gongenzaka didn't say anything and just narrowed his eyes.

Yaiba pressed a button which made an extra zone appear from the side of his duel disk. He took out a card in his hand, "I activate the Field Magic: Saber Vault!" He placed the card in his duel disk in which a bank vault with various technology appeared behind Yaiba. One of the vaults had a sword piercing in the middle of it.

Yaiba smirked, "With Saber Vault, all my "X-Saber" monsters gain 100 ATK for every Level they have but they also lose 100 DEF as well." He then pointed at Gottoms, "But that's not an issue to me!" Electricity was running through the vaults and soon an aura surrounded Yaiba's monsters.

 **XX-Saber Gottoms** ( **ATK: 3100→4000** , DEF: 2600→1700)  
 **XX-Saber Faultroll** ( **ATK: 2400→3000** , DEF: 1800→1200)  
 **X-Saber Palomio** (ATK: 200→300, **DEF: 300→200** )

Yaiba pointed at his monsters, "Battle! I attack Pendulum Ben-K with XX-Saber Gottoms!" Gottoms swung his sword which sent a blast that destroyed Ben-K, making Gongenzaka gritting his teeth from the explosion.

Yaiba then held out his hand, "I'm not done! I attack you directly with XX-Saber Faultroll!" Faultroll launched forward and slashed Gongenzaka directly. He grunted a little as he held his arms in front of himself to protect himself while being pushed back a little.

 **GONGENZAKA LP: 4000** → **1000**

He then smirked at Gongenzaka, "Last time, you had defense for your ace monster. But it looks like it's not working out for you. Do you understand the power of my "X-Sabers" now?"

Gongenzaka stood back up and stood there with a look of resolve, "Though your "X-Sabers" are impressive, a man never backs down from a challenge." He closed his eyes, "To stand still and face challenges head on…" He opened his eyes while looking unnerved, "That is the way of Steadfast Dueling!"

Yaiba narrowed his eyes for a few seconds before scoffing, "Whatever." Yaiba then pointed at Gottoms, "Well, let's see how you handle this again! Because of Gottoms' effect, I tribute Palomio in order to send a random card in your hand to the Graveyard!" Palomio was released and then Gongenzaka was forced to send one of his monsters to the Graveyard.

Yaiba smiled confidently, "I end my turn." Yaiba looked at his deck, "Darksoul's effect activates. Since he was sent to the Graveyard, I can add another "X-Saber" monster from my Deck to my hand. I add XX-Saber Faultroll." Though he remembers that Gongenzaka has monsters that can activate their effects in the Graveyard, he figured it might be easier to just send them to the Graveyard in order to give Gongenzaka less chances of a comeback.

Gongenzaka placed his fingers on his duel disk, "My turn, draw!"

He looked at his current hand while also looking at his Extra Deck, " _Ben-K is now in my Extra Deck since he's a Pendulum Monster. In order to further evolve my Steadfast Dueling, I need to adapt to using Pendulum Monsters now."_ He then closed his eyes, " _I'll need to strengthen my defense in order to win this duel."_ He opened his eyes while feeling fired up, " _I am ready!"_

Gongenzaka showed a card in his hand, "When I have no monsters on my field, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Taka-2M (ATK: 800, **DEF: 1500** , LV: 6) from my hand!" Gongenzaka brought a samurai that had golden armor with blue plates on his shoulders and knees. He had white gloves and was carrying a yellow axe that was in the shape of a cross.

Yaiba then looked satisfied, "Heh. Without your ace monster, you're just going for defense." He then pressed a button on his duel disk, "Too bad for you! I activate the Counter Trap: Saber Hole! Since I control an "X-Saber" monster, your summon is negated and that monster is destroyed!" Electricity run through Taka-2M's card before a giant black hole appeared before the monster and destroyed it.

However, Gongenzaka didn't seem fazed as held out another card, "When my opponent has two or more monsters on the field, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai TenB-N (ATK: 800, **DEF: 1800** , LV: 4) from my hand!" TenB-N was brought onto the field.

Gongenzaka then had a smile on his face, "And when this monster is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one "Superheavy Samurai" monster from my Graveyard!" He pointed at TenB-N, "Be reborn! Superheavy Samurai Taka-2M ( **DEF: 1500** )!" TenB-N spun his scale around before holding out one of the bowls and Taka-2M appeared from it.

Yaiba narrowed his eyes in confusion, " _Why didn't he bring Ben-K back?"_ He could have summoned any "Superheavy Samurai" and, for some reason, he chose that one.

Gongenzaka pointed at Taka-2M, "Taka-2M gains 300 DEF for every monster my opponent controls!" There were two monsters on Yaiba's field so Taka-2M gained 600 DEF.

 **Superheavy Samurai** **Taka-2M** ( **DEF: 1500** → **2100** )

Yaiba now looked even more confused, " _What is he up to?"_ He wondered if he was trying something like with what happened before during the end of their last duel.

Gongenzaka then looked at the last card in his hand which is revealed to be Glo-V. He closed his eyes, " _This is all I can do for now."_ He then looked at Yaiba with determination in his eyes, "I end my turn with that!"

Yaiba narrowed his eyes before drawing, "My turn, draw!" He looked at his hand before curiously smirking at Gongenzaka, "With all of this nonsense talk about "Steadfast Dueling" and "being a man", let's see where that gets you." Gongenzaka didn't say anything in response although he narrowed his eyes a little.

Yaiba held out his hand, "I use Faultroll's effect to bring back Fulhelmknight ( **ATK: 1300** → **1600** ) from the Graveyard!" Faultroll swung his sword into the ground and Fulhelmknight came back as a result. Since there was another monster on Yaiba's field, Taka-2M gained more defense.

 **Superheavy Samurai** **Taka-2M** ( **DEF: 2100** → **2400** )

"I tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight with my Level 6 Faultroll ( **3 + 6 = 9** )!" Fulhelmknight turned into three green energy rings that surrounded Faultroll, "Let your silver armor shine! Crush the hope of all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 9! XX-Saber Gottoms ( **ATK: 3100** → **4000** , DEF: 2600→1700, LV: 9)!" Another Gottoms appeared on Yaiba's field besides the first one.

 **Superheavy Samurai** **Taka-2M** ( **DEF: 2400** → **2100** )

Yaiba kept his smirk as he showed the other Faultroll in his hand, "And just like before, I Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll ( **ATK: 2400→3000** )!" Another Faultroll appeared on the field to take the first one's place.

 **Superheavy Samurai** **Taka-2M** ( **DEF: 2100** → **2400** )

Yaiba held out his hand, "Once again, I use Faultroll's effect to bring back Boggarknight ( **ATK: 1900** → **2300** ) from the Graveyard!" Faultroll swung his sword into the ground and Boggarknight came back as a result.

 **Superheavy Samurai** **Taka-2M** ( **DEF: 2400** → **2700** )

Yaiba revealed another card in his hand, "Next, I summon X-Saber Uruz ( **ATK: 1600** → **2000** , DEF: 1300, LV: 4)!" The last monster Yaiba brought out was a warrior that resembled a bear that wore a red samurai mask on its face, was carrying twin blades and was wearing red metal gauntlets and leg guards.

 **Superheavy Samurai** **Taka-2M** ( **DEF: 2700** → **3000** )

Yaiba narrowed his eyes a little before smirking, " _Even if he has Break Armor or Big Bang in the Graveyard, I'll still survive."_ He was thinking about those two monsters Gongenzaka used during their first duel as well as their effects. According to their effects, even if uses Break Armor's effect, he would still have LP remaining after the effect and, as long as he doesn't use Saber Reflect, he can't counter with Big Bang again.

Yaiba then looked at his Gottoms, " _Just in case."_ He looked at Gongenzaka, "I use Gottoms' effect once more and tribute Boggarknight in order to send the last card in your hand to the Graveyard!" Boggarknight was released and Gongenzaka, who gritted his teeth a little, was forced to send the last monster in his hand to the Graveyard.

 **Superheavy Samurai** **Taka-2M** ( **DEF: 3000** → **2700** )

Gongenzaka looked at Yaiba, "Superheavy Samurai Glo-V's monster effect! When this card is sent to the Graveyard and there are no Magic or Traps in my Graveyard, I can look at the top 5 cards in my Deck and then place them back in any order!" The monster Gongenzaka sent was Glo-V so now he grabbed 5 cards from the top of his deck to look at them. Gongenzaka's eyes widened in surprise when he saw that some of them were Pendulum Monsters. From seeing them, he knew what to do as he put the cards back into his deck.

Yaiba nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever." He then held out another card, "I equip one of my Gottoms with the Equip Magic: Sword of Sparkles!" The first Gottoms had his sword disappear in exchange for a silver sword that was sparkling all over.

"Battle! The first of my XX-Saber Gottoms attacks Taka-2M!" Gottoms sent out a blast from his sparkling sword that destroyed Taka-2M.

Yaiba smirked at Gongenzaka, "Sword of Sparkles' effect! When the equipped monster destroys a monster by battle, I can destroy a card on your field! And I choose your last defense, TenB-N!" As a result, Gottoms swung his sword, creating a vacuum wave that connected and destroyed TenB-N, making Gongenzaka place his arms in front of himself during the blast.

Yaiba held out his hand, "This is the end! I attack you directly with my second Gottoms!" Gottoms charged forward, ready to strike Gongenzaka.

However, Gongenzaka still looked determined, "Superheavy Samurai Glo-V's effect!" The monster card was taken out of the Graveyard as Gongenzaka grabbed it.

Yaiba looked a little surprised before having a look of irritation on his face, "Another card effect from the Graveyard?"

Gongenzaka showed the card in his hand, "That's right! When I'm attacked directly, I can banish this card from my Graveyard to activate its second effect!" He put the card in his pocket before placing his fingers on his deck, "With this effect, I draw a card and if its a "Superheavy Samurai", then your attacking monster's ATK become 0!" Yaiba clenched his teeth a little, knowing full well what Gongenzaka is going to draw.

Gongenzaka took a step forward and drew with determination, "Draw!" He then flipped the card he drew to look at it before showing it to Yaiba, "The card I drew is Superheavy Samurai General San-5! This card is a "Superheavy Samurai" so your Gottoms loses all of its strength!" Gottoms' sword broke which made him stop his attack midway.

 **XX-Saber Gottoms** ( **#2** ) ( **ATK: 4000→0** )

Yaiba looked irritated before having a smirk on his face, "So what? That doesn't change a thing especially…" He held out his hand to his other monsters, "...since I still have Faultroll and Uruz!"

Yaiba pointed at Gongenzaka, "I attack you directly with Faultroll!"

However, before Faultroll could charge forward, Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes as he shouted, "I activate the effect of Superheavy Samurai Otasu-K from my Graveyard!" As he took the card from his Graveyard, Yaiba now looked even more irritated, "You have another one?! How many of these things do you have?"

Gongenzaka showed Otasu-K to Yaiba, "When I'm attacked directly, I can banish this card from my Graveyard." He put the card in his pocket before smiling a little, "And then, I Special Summon a "Superheavy Samurai" from my Graveyard! Be reborn, Superheavy Samurai TenB-N ( **DEF: 1800** )!" TenB-N was brought back to Gongenzaka's field.

"And when TenB-N is Special Summoned, I can bring back Superheavy Samurai Taka-2M ( **DEF: 1500** → **2700** )!" Thanks to Otasu-K's effect, Gongenzaka was able to bring back his two monsters in Defense Position, giving more protection to his life.

Yaiba saw what Gongenzaka as he clenched a fist in irritation, "...Persistent bastard!" He then scoffed a little, "Fine! Then I'll have Faultroll attack your Taka-2M!" Faultroll jumped forward and slashed Taka-2M, destroying it.

"And finally I attack your TenB-N with my Uruz!" Uruz charged forward and cross-slashed right through TenB-N, destroying Gongenzaka's last defense.

Yaiba then smiled a little, "Just in case, I activate Uruz's monster effect! By tributing this card, your TenB-N is now returned to the top of your Deck!" Uruz was released and then Gongenzaka was forced to place TenB-N to the top of his deck instead of the Graveyard.

Yaiba then pointed at his first Gottoms, "Finally, I use Gottoms' effect to tribute my other Gottoms in order to send the card you just added to your Graveyard!" The second Gottoms that had its strength weakened was released and, as a result, Gongenzaka sent his San-5 to the Graveyard.

Yaiba placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." Yaiba looked a frown while he looked at Gongenzaka, being mildly impressed, "Once again, you held on with cards in your Graveyard. I said this before but you're one lucky bastard." Although he is irritated that he couldn't get the job done, he has to give Gongenzaka credit for surviving this long even if it is by the skin of his teeth.

Gongenzaka closed his eyes after he heard what Yaiba said, "You're wrong. As I said before, my will made it possible for me to come through." He then opened his eyes with determination, "And that Steadfast resolve is what will help me win! Right here and now!"

Gongenzaka placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He looked at the card he drew which was TenB-N, " _The pieces are in place. It is time to evolve my Steadfast Dueling into something greater."_

Gongenzaka held his card, "Since you have 2 or more monsters, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai TenB-N ( **DEF: 1800** ) from my hand again!" TenB-N was brought back onto the field.

"And due to TenB-N's effect, I can bring back a "Superheavy Samurai" from my Graveyard! I revive Superheavy Samurai General San-5 (ATK: 300, **DEF: 500** , LV: 1, PS: 8)!" TenB-N summoned a monster that was wearing a coral red samurai general outfit while wearing bronze, black, and white underneath; it was also carrying a black and blue axe that had gold on each end of it.

Yaiba narrowed his eyes in confusion, "Although I'm wondering why you haven't brought back Ben-K with this effect, this doesn't change a thing!"

Gongenzaka, however, smiled with confidence, "As I've said before, truly strong men don't make wasted moves!"

He then held out his hand, "I activate Superheavy Samurai General San-5's monster effect! When there are no Magic or Traps in my Graveyard, I can tribute up to 2 "Superheavy Samurai" monsters and then draw that many cards! I tribute TenB-N and San-5 itself!" TenB-N and San-5 were released from the field, leaving Gongenzaka's field empty.

He drew two cards from his deck before holding out his hand again, "I now activate the effect of Taka-2M from my Graveyard! When there are no Magic or Traps in my Graveyard and I control no cards, I can banish this card in order to draw 2 more cards!" Taka-2M was banished and, as a result, Gongenzaka drew two more cards.

Gongenzaka then looked at his hand and smiled, " _It's here. The cards that will help me further evolve Steadfast Dueling. I'm ready!"_

Yaiba narrowed his eyes in irritation before smirking a little, "While I'm surprised you manage to add more monsters to your hand, you can't do much without your ace."

Gongenzaka closed his eyes, "As my best friend has further evolved as a duelist, I will show you the new strength of steadfastness!"

Gongenzaka then opened his eyes with resolve as he held two cards in his hand, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 3 Superheavy Samurai Sasu-K and Scale 9 Superheavy Samurai General Gamo-O!" Gongenzaka placed both cards into the Pendulum Zones.

Sasu-K was a blue samurai that was wearing a black cuirass around the chest area, red gauntlets and vambraces, black cuisses and boots, a black faceplate, and he was carrying a silver sword on his back.

Gamo-O was a black samurai that was wearing a purple guruwa around his neck, a grey manju no wa that covered his upper body, a purple samurai general helm with horns and was carrying a brown axe with gold on each end of it.

Yaiba was shocked, "What?! So you did have Pendulum Monsters…!" He didn't think his assumption was right and was shocked that Gongenzaka actually has them.

Gongenzaka looked at his monsters, "With this, I can summon monsters with Levels 4 and 8 at the same time!"

"Immovable as the mountains, swinging very still beyond focus! Awaken to a new Steadfastness as still warriors with resolve! Pendulum Summon!"

Gongenzaka held up one card in his hand, "Appear, my monster!" One monster came out of the portal, "From the Extra Deck, Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K ( **DEF: 3500** )!" Ben-K appeared back on the field as he spun his staff back and forth.

Yaiba was taken back and then, after processing this for a few seconds, smirked almost in satisfaction, "Heh. Well, what do you know? Who knew you were hiding something like this?" He then pointed at his two monsters, "But Ben-K does not have enough DEF to take out both my Gottoms and my LP!" Ben-K has 3500 DEF while Gottoms has 4000 ATK. Even if he attacks Faultroll, that's only 500 damage compared to his 2100 LP.

Gongenzaka still looked determined as he held out his hand, "Superheavy Samurai General Gamo-O's Pendulum Effect! All "Superheavy Samurai" monsters I control gain 500 DEF!"

 **Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K** ( **DEF: 3500** → **4000** )

"And then I activate Sasu-K's Pendulum Effect! One monster on my opponent's field loses 1000 ATK and DEF! I choose your Gottoms!" Gongenzaka pointed at Gottoms after he said that.

Yaiba was shocked, "What?" He then turned to look at Gottoms, who was looking a little weaker as he kneeled down.

 **XX-Saber Gottoms** ( **ATK: 4000→3000** , DEF: 1700→700)

Gongenzaka closed his eyes, "I believe that it is appropriate that our ace monsters clash for one last time." He then opened his eyes with resolve in his voice, "Battle! Pendulum Ben-K attacks XX-Saber Gottoms!" Ben-K spun his staff before charging straight forwards toward Gottoms.

Yaiba scoffed a little with smirking, "Hah! Even though you may have weaken my Gottoms, it's still not enough to wipe out the rest of my life!" By his calculation, this would only deal him 1000 damage which means he's safe.

However, Gongenzaka smiled a little as he showed the last card in his hand, "I activate the effect of Superheavy Samurai Soulbuster Gauntlet! When my Defense Position "Superheavy Samurai" is battling an opponent's monster and there are no Magic or Traps in my Graveyard, I can send this card to the Graveyard!" He sent Soulbuster Gauntlet to the Graveyard before holding up a fist, "And then my Ben-K's DEF become double its original DEF until the end of this turn!" A silhouette of a purple mechanical gauntlet with a black metal glove on the end of it appeared on the field momentarily before it became a ball of light that transferred its power over to Ben-K as it was charging forward. Since Ben-K's original DEF was 3500, it is now 7000.

 **Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K** ( **DEF: 4000** → **7000** )

Yaiba was shocked as he took a step back, "7000 DEF?!" He has never seen a monster with that much DEF and felt like he was in trouble.

Gongenzaka punched the air with his fist, "This is the end! Ben-K finish off XX-Saber Gottoms!" Ben-K stopped a few feet in front of Gottoms before lunging forward with his staff. Gottoms tried to fight back but was too slow and then Ben-K stabbed him in the chest, destroying him. That created an explosion that made Yaiba cross his arms in front of himself before he was pushed back by the force of the blast. He was sent flying and then landed on his back as he took the damage.

 **YAIBA LP: 2100** → **0**

 **GONGENZAKA: WIN  
** **YAIBA: LOSE**

Gongenzaka walked forward as Yaiba was getting up off the ground while grunting a little. As soon as he stood up, he had his back facing Gongenzaka as he stopped.

Yaiba sighed a little, "Geez. To think I'd actually lose." He then turned to face Gongenzaka with a smirk on his face, "But strangely it doesn't bother me that much." Although he was frustrated that he lost, for some reason he didn't seem to mind as much as he thought he would have. Maybe it was because it was a decisive winner this time around.

Gongenzaka stared at Yaiba with curiosity, "It was a good duel. It also helped me become more stronger than before." He never fully tested his Pendulum Cards until now and he knew he was ready to evolve further than before.

Yaiba smiled a little, "Heh. Yeah, it was a good duel." He then gave Gongenzaka a serious look, "Well, you won. And as we agreed, I'm a man of my word so I'll teach you how to Synchro Summon."

Gongenzaka then smiled a little in gratitude, "Thank you."

Yaiba pointed his kendo at Gongenzaka, "But if I'm going to be your teacher, you'll have to follow my lead on how to Synchro Summon. If I'm going to teach someone, then I would want him to be one of the best Synchro Summoners such as myself."

Gongenzaka didn't seem fazed by that request, "Right!"

Yaiba then gave off a satisfied smirk, "That's more like it." He then turned around, "But today is not a good time. We'll start training tomorrow. Until then, see ya." He held out hand in goodbye as he walked away. Gongenzaka didn't say anything but silently agreed as he walked away in the other direction.

Yaiba smirked as he walked, " _This is going to be interesting."_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

"So, do you think you've gotten the hang of Ritual Summoning?" Mikleo looked at Yuzu curiously while he had his arms crossed.

Yuzu looked at her Ritual Monster with a small smile, "I think so. It's a little complicated to use but I think I'll manage."

Mikleo nodded in satisfaction, "Alright, then I guess we're done for right now." He was satisfied that he was at least able to help Yuzu understand Ritual Summoning more.

"Hey everyone!" Yuzu and Mikleo turned to see Sora waving around excitedly. Yuzu smiled sweetly as she walked forward, "Hey Sora."

Sora smiled sweetly as well, "Oh, Yuzu! You ready to start our training now?"

Yuzu nodded, "Yeah. I just finished with Mikleo."

Sora nodded and then he looked around the room, noticing that they're the only ones here right now. Sora looked at Yuzu in curiosity, "Where are the others?"

Mikleo nonchalantly replied, "My brother is out looking for Ruri and I think Rin is teaching the kids some things of how Synchro Summoning works."

Sora looked a little disappointed, "Oh, Ruri isn't here." On the inside, he was a little more frustrated, " _How convenient."_ Mikleo raised an eyebrow from Sora mentioning Ruri for some reason.

However, Yuzu didn't notice as she walked towards the exit, "Anyway, let's go to the warehouse and practice a bit." Sora followed behind, "...S-Sure."

As Mikleo watched them leave, he had a hand on his chin as he was thinking about something, " _Hmm...I still wonder why exactly Reiji wanted Yuya's Pendulum Cards from the beginning. And what happened that made Reiji leave in the first place?"_ He was honestly too curious about this but was also suspicious as there are a lot of facts that don't add up. With everything that has been happening with Ruri and Rin appearing, Reiji acting suspicious, and the recent dreams he has been having, something strange is going on here and he feels that they're all somehow connected.

Within a lot of thinking, he made his decision as he walked out of the room. He then exited the building and headed in the direction of LDS.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - DOWNTOWN**

Nearby a tea shop, Ruri was sitting in a table outside. She had a frown on her face as she was twirling the spoon in her tea to pass the time. She was feeling conflicted over learning that Yuzu was willing to learn Fusion Summoning. She wanted to speak more of her true feelings over the subject but, once again, she's trying to keep a low profile from her friends.

Ruri gave off a depressed sigh, " _I don't know what to do."_ She remembers what Yuya and Yuzu said about Fusion Summoning not being a bad thing but it is just not that easy for her to get over.

"There you are, Ruri." Ruri was surprised by the voice and then raised her head to see who it is. It was Yuya who was looking at her with a small smile, "I finally found you."

"Yuya." She was a little surprised that Yuya managed to find her but she probably didn't make it difficult.

Yuya sat down in a chair next to Ruri. He looked at her with a worried expression, "Are you alright? Yuzu told me what happened."

Ruri moved her head down a little, "...I don't know." She really doesn't how she should feel about this.

For a moment, Yuya decided to not say anything and just let Ruri try to calm down a little before speaking. The last thing he wanted was to add more stress to her while trying to communicate with her at the same time.

After a couple minutes of thinking, Ruri raised her head to look at Yuya. She had a frown on her face while being a little curious, "Yuya, what exactly did Yuzu tell you?"

Yuya nodded as he then told Ruri what Yuzu told him, about how she reacted when she learned that Yuzu was learning Fusion Summoning.

Ruri lowered her head a little, "I see."

Yuya looked at her in curiosity as a thought came to him, "Ruri, has Yuzu mentioned anything about what happened yesterday?" He wondered if Ruri knows about Yuzu seeing Yuto again or not.

Ruri then looked confused before shaking her head, "I only know that Yuzu wanted to learn Ritual Summoning from Mikleo. I don't know what she was doing after."

Yuya nodded his head before looking down at the table, wondering if he should say something or not. After a few seconds, he decided to just go with it, "Ruri, I think...Yuzu might have seen Yuto again."

Ruri raised her head in shock, "What?"

Yuya scratched the back of his head in confusion, "I don't know the full details but I think Yuzu might have encountered Yuto again while she was with Sora." From hearing Yuzu mentioning her bracelet, it made him wonder if maybe she saw Yuto again and then disappeared again like she, Ruri, and Rin before about how their bracelets teleport people or something.

Yuya looked at Ruri in curiosity, "I guess...maybe she didn't get the chance to tell you about it?"

Ruri looked a little sad as she stared at the table, "...Maybe I did kind of ran off without giving her the chance to explain more." She will admit that she did kind of "overreact" a bit when she heard Yuzu mentioning her Fusion Summoning but she couldn't really help herself. It did make her regret how she acted a little in front of her and wondered if she was mad at her or not. However, a thought came to her mind as she fully processed what Yuya said and then narrowed her eyes in suspicions, " _Wait a minute. If Sora was with Yuzu and they saw Yuto, did that mean…?"_ She was wondering if Yuzu mentioned her name or not to Yuto in front of Sora. On one hand, this means maybe Yuto knows she's here. But on the other hand, this also means that Sora might now be suspicious of her and that cannot be good for the long one. She have to talk to Yuzu later to confirm this or not.

"Ruri." She raised to head to look back at Yuya, who was worried for her. Yuya narrowed his eyes a little, "You remember what I said about Fusion Summoning being not a bad thing?"

She gave a small smile, "...Yes, I remember." She remembers what he said about his opinion on Fusion Summoning a few days ago and she knows that Yuya is right about it. However, again she is haunted by her sadness of the destruction of her home, residents, and friends thanks to both Academia and Fusion Summoning. She frowned a little in sadness while feeling frustrated at herself for feeling like this.

Yuya spoke again which interrupted her thoughts, "I know I said that I wasn't going to pressure you or anything but...I can't help but think that this is bothering you too much. I want to be able to help you. And I can tell Yuzu wants too as well."

Ruri stared at Yuya for a few seconds, pondering what he said, before down at the table again. She knows that she can't keep this up forever. Eventually, one of them is going to find out about her secret and she wouldn't know what to do when that happens.

Ruri was hesitate but spoke, "Yuya...I know I heard you answer before but…" Yuya stared back in confusion, "Hm?" Ruri raised her head to look at Yuya with a sincere, curious expression on her face, "...What is dueling to you? I need to hear it again."

Yuya was taken aback a little from the question before having a small smile on his face, "...To me, dueling should be fun to every duelist who play Duel Monsters." He then brought his deck to look at it, "It can be competitive, it can be fun clashing with other duelists. All in all, while I want to be one of the best, I also always want to have fun while dueling." Yuya's smile grew larger as he raised his head towards Ruri, "At least, that's how I feel anyway."

Ruri listened careful to what Yuya was saying before having a sad smile on her face, "I see…" And while she was hesitate, she looked at the table while she continued to speak, "And...what would you say or do to people who used dueling to hurt others...?"

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise as he didn't expect this, "Hurt others…?" He didn't expect that and wondered where that came from before his eyes then looked down at the table in deep thought. He hadn't really thought about something like that before. What would he do?

Suddenly, his thoughts turned to that one dream he had before: where he saw that bright city being turned into a war zone and those duelists that are wearing uniforms turned people into actual cards. He clenched his fists a little from being reminded of the anger and sadness he felt in that dream. Ruri could see that something was bothering Yuya but decided not to pry, only to look on in concern.

After thinking for a minute, Yuya raised his head, "I...would try to tell them that is not what dueling should be about. I would do whatever I can to try and convince them that there are better ways to have fun with dueling."

Ruri lowered her head to ponder what he said before a small smile crept her face, "I see…" Her smile then turned sad as she raised her head back to look at Yuya, "Listen, Yuya, I know what you and Yuzu are trying to do and I appreciate it so much."

Her face was then full of regret and sadness, "But I...I just can't tell you yet...I'm sorry." Soon after, tears started to form into her eyes as she feels a lot of regret and sadness for still not being able to tell Yuya and the others about her pain. She believes that it is for the best but it still hurts.

As Ruri struggled not to cry, Yuya saw Ruri's face and immediately had a look of regret on his face, " _Maybe...I shouldn't have pried too hard."_ As Yuya looked at Ruri in concern, he wondered what to do before deciding to stand up from his chair.

Ruri was looking at the table, not noticing what Yuya was doing, " _I knew it was going to be hard but it still hurts to hide it."_ She wondered how she can keep this up especially since Sora, theoretically, found out about her.

However, to her surprise, Yuya came up to her and gave her a hug while she still sitting in her chair. Ruri had a look of shock on her face as she didn't expect this. Yuya spoke while he still hugging her, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you so depressed." He loosened his grip as he was still talking, "I might not know what you've been through but I'll support you through and through until you're ready." He released his hold on her as he stepped back a little to face her with a smile, "After all, that's what friends do for each other."

Ruri didn't know what to say exactly, "Yuya…" She then started to smile a little as she feeling a little better from Yuya's comforting. She raised her head and gave Yuya a sweet smile, "...Thank you. You're a really good friend. And we've only been friends for a while now."

Yuya then had a cheeky smile on his face as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Hey, you comforted me when I had my moment of realization. So I should do the same for you." He reminded her of the time she joined in comforting him when he was feeling regret about his past actions as a friend after his duel with Mikleo.

Ruri nodded her head agreement before getting lost in thought with her left hand to her heart, " _Back then, I was trying to stay strong for myself. Now, I need to stay strong for Yuya and the others as well. Especially...Shun and Yuto."_

Ruri stood up from her chair to look at Yuya, "Thank you for your help, Yuya. You've helped me...more than you can imagine."

Yuya smiled back, "You're welcome."

Ruri nodded before having a look of resolve on her face, "Now, if you please excuse me, I have to go back to Yuzu's and apologize to her." She then turned and walked away from Yuya, heading in the direction back to Yuzu's house. She needed to ask Yuzu something and hear her side of the story as well.

However, she then remembered something stopped to turn back to Yuya, "Oh! Yuya, can I ask you for a favor?"

Yuya raised an eyebrow in curiosity and confusion before walking a little closer to her, "What is it?"

She looked a little hesitate before speaking, "Would you...please tell the others that they don't have to look for Yuto anymore?"

Yuya was taken aback by this question before being confused, "Huh? Why?" Why would Ruri want them to stop helping her look for Yuto?

Ruri now looked more hesitate to speak, "Because...I don't want to trouble you with finding him while you all are focused on the Maiami Championship." Frankly, she just now came up with that excuse but she wasn't exactly lying either; she didn't want them to be troubled by her own problems as well.

Yuya had a look of reluctance on his face, "Well...it's true that we're all focused on the Maiami Championship right now but that doesn't mean…"

However, he was interrupted as Ruri gave Yuya a pleading look, "Please, Yuya. It's not a problem to me that you all have other things to worry about. I'll keep searching for Yuto myself while you all handle your qualifications. Please Yuya, do this for me." She really needed help convincing the others to stop searching for Yuto and Yuya was the best one she could trust to convince the others. She doesn't need to cause problems for them if one of them finds Yuto first.

Yuya looked a little hesitate and was about to argue, "Well, I…" However, he stopped as he saw Ruri's face: a look of desperation, guilt, and pleading. She's really asking him to do this for her and it didn't help that she's making that face. He found it hard to argue against it.

Reluctantly, after a minute, Yuya sighed as he scratched the back of his neck, "...Alright. I'll see what I can do." Yuya's eyes looked to the side for a few seconds, " _I can't say no to her. I'm too nice._ "

Ruri was relieved and gave Yuya a smile of gratitude, "Thank you so much, Yuya." She then waved goodbye as she turned around and ran off in the direction of Yuzu's house.

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little as he watched Ruri leaving, " _Even though she couldn't tell me, it looks like she's feeling a little better."_ He then looked at the sky in curiosity, " _Well, whatever she has trouble saying, at least she's not in any danger. Right?"_ He was asking himself that question to which he didn't know the answer. Regardless, he hoped Ruri will be alright as time goes on.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LDS**

Mikleo arrived at the LDS building that had a lot of security guards around the entrance with some people allowed entry. He narrowed his eyes a little as he saw the unusual tight security around this place.

He was deep in thought, " _A little unusual with this much security. Now, my curiosity has increased."_ He had more suspicions as to what LDS could be hiding but first he had to get in the building first.

However, Mikleo's deck was glowing for a bit before a ball of light appeared from it. The ball of light floated towards Mikleo's left shoulder and then Helios appeared in a transparent miniature form on his shoulder.

Helios looked at Mikleo with a smirk on his face, " _Want me to care of them? I've been itching to fight since you brought me back."_ Ever since Mikleo brought him out during his duel with Yuya, Helios has been getting hyped up to battle once again since he has the passion and thrill for battles especially since it was the first time his partner dueled in over a year. Helios then turned toward the guards, " _They don't look like much. I could squash them with one finger."_

Mikleo couldn't help but smirk at Helios' statement as he continued looking at the building, "Keep your cool, Helios. We don't need to get carried away." He then looked at his monster with a straight face, "We especially don't need any recklessness right now. Right?"

Helios just chuckled a little, " _Heh. I understand. Fingers crossed."_

Mikleo then turned his attention as an idea came to mind, "Appreciate the offer but I think I'll do this the fashioned way." While he doesn't mind Helios' passion, sometimes it can get a little out of hand. Besides, it seems like it wouldn't be worth the trouble of sneaking with so much security in a place like LDS.

Helios couldn't help scoff a little, " _That's a little boring."_ He then toward around, " _Wake me up when something interesting happens."_ Helios turned back into a ball of light and went back into Mikleo's deck.

After that, Mikleo walked up to the guard nearest to him. The guard held out his hand, "Identification please."

Mikleo said nothing as he reached into his pocket and pulled an ID card that showed his picture along with him being an employee at LDS. The guard took the ID card and scanned it before a green light was shown. The guard nodded as he held out his hand toward the entrance, "All clear. Go on in."

Mikleo nodded before taking his ID and walking inside the building. Mikleo smiled a little, " _Fake ID. Works every time."_ He made it right before he came here just in case plus it was easy given the technology he had to make it.

He walked up to the lady at the counter who greeted him with a smile, "Welcome. How may I help you?"

Mikleo kept a straight face as he spoke, "I would like to know where the classrooms are." That was mainly just a ploy so she wouldn't be suspicious of him.

However, a woman with red hair walked right behind him which made Mikleo notice her. He turned his head slightly to see this woman's blue eyes. The woman noticed him as well as she turned her narrowed eyes to look at him for a second but deciding not to pay him any mind and continued walking. Mikleo narrowed his eyes a little, wondering who that was.

The lady didn't notice as she nodded, "Of course." She then held out her hand towards the right of the hallway, "If you go down there, pass the hallway there are two classrooms about Ritual Summoning and Fusion Summoning. The other classrooms are in respective floors above such as Synchro is on the second floor and Xyz is on the third floor. There are other classrooms about the basics of dueling and they are also on the first floor to the right."

Mikleo nodded in response, "Thank you." With that out of the way, he then began to walk in the direction of the classrooms, hoping to find a spot where he can hack in the network to find any information.

However, a few minutes have passed and Mikleo stopped in the middle of the hallway he was in. Mikleo sighed a little, " _This isn't gonna work. There are too many people that can notice me."_ He wanted to get into a room where he can't be seen acting suspicious if he's hacking using his duel disk. Sure, he could use a program to auto hack some files but that would require him to stay in a specific spot. He wondered what to do.

Just then, two students, which was a boy and a girl, of LDS ran by him. The boy shouted, "Come on! They're just about to test the new transfer!" The other girl shouted back, "I'm coming! Just hang on!" Soon after, they were out of sight as they headed into the direction of the center court.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes a little, " _Transfer student?"_ Guess LDS is having some foreign duelist come to this school in Maiami.

However, he realized something as he remembered Yuya's duel with Sawatari, " _Wait a minute...the center court. I doubt many people would pay attention to me if they're watching that duel."_ From his idea coming to play, he began walking toward the center court.

After a minute or two, Mikleo finally arrived at the center court from a hallway that lead to the seats. There was around maybe 20 to 40 people in the area. He guessed not many people cared much about transfer students cause there definitely would have been more people filling these seats.

Mikleo looked around the area and saw two people dressed in uniforms that were in the middle of the arena. One had orange hair a bang covering the right side of his face along with brown eyes. The other had black hair with a crew cut hairstyle along with green eyes. They looked like they were discussing something back and forth as they were waiting impatiently for someone. Mikleo narrowed his eyes at them, " _Guess they're instructors of LDS."_

He heard some of the students talking to his right, "So, have you guys heard where this transfer student is from?" "I have heard that he might a transfer from the Berlin division." "Really, is the transfer a boy? I haven't heard that."

Mikleo listened to them with a neutral look on his face, " _As much I'm curious as to who the transfer is…"_ He decided to not pay attention as he leaned on the wall right behind the chairs with only a few people in front of him sitting. He brought out his duel disk as he began typing something, hacking into the databanks of LDS which proved difficult as there are more firewalls than before. Mikleo narrowed his eyes a little in suspicion, " _Reiji might have upped the security since last time."_

He didn't seemed fazed as he scrolling through some coding and typed some buttons. Soon after, a loading screen appeared as it had a power meter that slowly increasing from 0% to 100%. He looked at his duel disk, " _This might take a while for the program to break through these firewalls."_ He put the disk away but kept it turned on in order to have program continue loading. He crossed his arms as he leaned on the wall, " _I guess in the meantime I could watch whatever test this transfer is having."_

The instructor with orange hair, whose name is Renji, looked a little frustrated, "She's late. You'd think a transfer student would try to look good on her first day…"

The instructor with black hair, whose name is Takuto, narrowed his eyes a little, "Calm down. Besides, she still hasn't passed the orientation yet."

However, everyone stopped talking as they heard footsteps approaching from the court entrance. Soon after, from the shadows, a woman walked into the arena and stopped in front of the instructors.

The students looked both surprised and curious from the sudden arrival, "Is that the new transfer student?" "Wow, she looks pretty!" "I don't know. She looks kinda fierce."

Mikleo narrowed his eyes a little, " _Isn't that the woman I just saw from the entrance?"_ He decided to look closer to get a better description.

The woman that stepped in had cherry red hair that was tied up in a ponytail with a purple ribbon and blue eyes. She looked to be just about Mikleo's age and around his height as well. Her hair had one bang that was hanging from each side of her face along with some tips hanging above her forehead. She was wearing a periwinkle colored cardigan and a magenta pink vest on top with a black tanktop underneath them. She was also wearing dark blue pants with a brown belt and brown boots.

Renji looked at the woman impatiently, "Well, you've finally arrived. You are about half an hour late for this." He was not happy that someone was willing to be late for a test.

The woman looked at the two instructors, "My apologies for keeping you waiting. I was merely exploring the area and I lost track of time."

Tesuto didn't seem fazed as he was scrolling through a touchpad with a smile on his face, "In any case, we're glad you are here."

However, the woman turned her head to look at the students watching in their seats and then suddenly she noticed a guy with black and red hair leaning on the wall. They stared at each other for a few seconds with narrowed eyes before the woman turned her back to the instructors, "So, can you tell me how this process works?"

Tesuto raised his head, "Yes. In order for you to be successfully transferred here, you need to pass a dueling test with Renji." He pointed towards Renji before pointing at himself, "And then, you will begin another test with myself in order to determine what class and league you should belong in."

She looked back and forth between the two instructors, "So I have to face the both of you eventually?"

Renji then had a confident smile on his face, "Well now, don't think it will be that easy. After all, there is a reason why I…"

However, he was interrupted as the woman didn't seem to care as she spoke while having her eyes closed, "Fine, then I'll take on both of you at once."

As soon as she said that, the students sitting in the sidelines were surprised by this statement. Was she serious on taking them both on? In their minds, they are instructors of LDS which means dueling them and defeating wouldn't be easy one-on-one but she wants to take on both of them? They were quite baffled by this woman's audacity. Mikleo couldn't help but smile a little in amusement from hearing her, " _Well, this is getting interesting."_

Renji and Tesuto were taken aback as they didn't expect this. Renji narrowed his eyes a little as he felt he was being underestimated by this woman.

The woman, seeing their confusion, calmed looked at the both of them, "I would rather face you both then having two duels at once. That's easier to me. Sound fair?" She honestly wanted to get this over with as soon as possible plus it might be more interesting if she's facing both of them at the same time.

Tesuto felt like he should say something, "Wait a second. Now, I understand…"

"Hold on, Tesuto." Tesuto turned in confusion towards Renji before seeing a look of irritation on his face, "If she wants to face the both of us, what's the harm in it? This will make it easier." He honestly wanted to make it easier to defeat her especially since she basically insulted him whether it was intentional or not.

Tesuto was taken aback a little from Renji's anger before reluctantly speaking, "V-Very well. Then, let's begin the test." He then turned towards the woman, "What is your name?"

She closed her eyes for a few seconds before responding, "...It's Kyo."

Tesuto nodded he held a hand to his chest, "Fair enough. I am Tesuto…" He then held it towards Renji, "...and this is Renji."

Kyo had a unreadable expression on her face as she looked at her opponents. She closed her eyes, "...Nice to meet you." She then reached into her pocket and took out her duel disk. The other two did the same as all three of them placed their duel disks on their arms.

The students were baffled by the instructors actually agreeing but were not interested to see how this will play out.

Mikleo looked at his duel disk and saw that it had 30% completion from breaking all of the firewalls. He put it away as he looked at the field, " _Still gonna take some time. No harm in watching this I guess."_

All three of them were ready to begin the duel as Renji and Tesuto were next to each other while Kyo was on the opposite side.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **KYO LP: 4000  
** **RENJI LP: 4000  
** **TESUTO LP: 4000**

Renji placed his fingers on his deck, "I'll go first. Draw!" He looked at his hand before taking out a card, "I activate the Ritual Magic: Contract with Hell! I tribute Mist Daemon and Death Rook Daemon in my hand!" Both monsters were released as ancient alter appeared along with a dark portal. "I Ritual Summon! Daemon's Advent ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 1200, LV: 6)!" A demonic skull monster with wings appeared on the field that was also producing blue electricity around its body.

Renji looked at Kyo, "I set a card and end my turn with that."

Tesuto started his turn, "My turn, draw!" He took a card in his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization. I fuse Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon in my hand. Fusion Summon! Appear, Gatling Dragon ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 1200, LV: 8)!"

Tesuto placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

Renji looked at Kyo with a small smile, "Now then, let's see what you got." He was a little curious about this woman's strength.

Kyo just stared at the two monsters summoned for a few seconds before placing her fingers on her deck, "Draw." She added the card to her hand before looking at the rest of her cards for half a minute.

Kyo took out a card, "I Special Summon Cyber Dragon ( **ATK: 2100** , DEF: 1600, LV: 5)." Kyo brought out a mechanical snake-like dragon that had no arms or legs but had yellow eyes and sharp fangs.

Kyo looked at her two opponents, "When my opponents are the only ones that have monsters out, I can Special Summon this card from my hand."

Kyo held out two more cards, "Next, when the only monsters on my field are Machines, I can Special Summon Cypher Dragon ( **ATK: 2100** , DEF: 1600, LV: 5)!" Two copies of the same monster appeared on the field. They were similar in shape to Cyber Dragon except their bodies are only partially made out of metal and was worn like armor while the rest looked like their bodies are made out of blue streams of coding and material. They also had red eyes compared to Cyber Dragon's yellow eyes.

Mikleo raised an curious eyebrow, " _Hm, impressive."_ While he doesn't know much about this "Cyber" or "Cypher" archetype, what he's seeing right now is impressive. He did a quick check and saw that his program was 70% completed before looking back at the duel.

Kyo had a calm expression on her face as she held out her hand, "Cypher Dragon's monster effect. A monster on my opponent's field loses 700 ATK." Both of her Cypher Dragons unleashed red blasts of energy that drained her opponents' monsters of their power.

 **Daemon's Advent** ( **ATK: 2500** → **1800** )  
 **Gatling Dragon** ( **ATK: 2600** → **1900** )

Kyo looked at both Renji and Tesuto, "I would have thought you two would have put up more of a fight. But now I see that this is more of a waste of time."

Renji narrowed his eyes, "What?" Now, he felt even more insulted from this woman.

Kyo looked down at her hand to see a certain card in her hand: _Polymerization_. She stared at it for a few seconds before moving her eyes toward her monsters.

Kyo held out one more card in her hand, "When I have a "Cypher" monster on my field, I can Special Summon Cypher Dragon Remplacer ( **ATK: 1900** , DEF: 2400, LV: 5)!" Kyo summoned a monster that looked similar to Cypher Dragon except that it wearing metal ring around the neck area of its head as well as a satellite dish for its tail.

Kyo held out her hand towards her monsters, "I overlay my Level 5 Cyber Dragon and Cypher Dragon!" Both of Kyo's monster turned into dark energy that went into a portal.

"In order to subdue those who oppose your power, arise from your slumber and reclaim your throne from the cybernetics of nova! Xyz Summon! Arise, Rank 5! Cyber Dragon Nova ( **ATK: 2100** , DEF: 1600, RNK: 5, OVU: 2)!" Kyo summoned a monster that looked similar to Cyber Dragon except it was wearing red and black armor over its head and "chest" area; it also had wings on its back with red streams of energy flowing through them.

The students were surprised by her Xyz Summoning with one of them commenting, "Cool! She's an Xyz user!"

"I overlay my other Level 5 Cypher Dragon and Cypher Dragon Remplacer!" Just like before, both monsters turned into dark energy that went into a dark portal.

"From the cybernetics of coding, arise from the evolution of machinery! Become the might of a cybernetic ruler! Xyz Summon! Arise, Rank 5! Decypher Dragon ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1800, RNK: 5, OVU: 2)!" Kyo summoned another monster that looked similar to Cypher Dragon except its body was red and purple instead of purely blue; it had a yellow horn on its head and wings that had purple energy flowing through them.

Both Renji and Tesuto were taken aback a little as she just Xyz Summoned twice in one turn but were intrigued at the same time.

Mikleo looked at both Kyo and her monsters more curiously as he noticed something was off about the way she dueled. Mikleo narrowed his eyes a little in suspicion, " _She's...holding back isn't she."_ For some reason, he's getting the feeling that she's not taking them seriously. Before he think further, he heard his duel disk vibrate before pulling it out and seeing that it was done cracking through the firewalls. Mikleo smiled a little in satisfaction before looking around back and forth to see if anyone was watching or not and there wasn't. He checked the files and, to his surprise, there are only a few files available to download. He would think there were be more in the database. He narrowed his eyes a little, " _The rest of it is probably in safer security up top."_ That would mean he only has access to these files unless he can somehow get to a computer like Reiji's and download the files manually which isn't possible at the moment.

Mikleo sighed a little in irritation, " _Whatever. These will just have to do."_ He'll take what he can get right now. With that said, he pressed a button and then this duel disk proceeded to download the files available as he put it away in order to watch the rest of the duel.

Kyo looked calmly at her opponents, "When Decypher Dragon is successfully Xyz Summoned, I can add a Machine monster from my Deck to my hand." Kyo added a monster to her hand as she continued, "Furthermore, Decypher Dragon's ATK increase by 200 for every Machine monster I control."

 **Decypher Dragon** ( **ATK: 2400** → **2800** )

Kyo pointed at her first monster, "I activate Cyber Dragon Nova's monster effect. I use an Overlay Unit…" One of Nova's Overlay Units vanished, "Then, I Special Summon Cyber Dragon ( **ATK: 2100** ) back from the Graveyard." The original Cyber Dragon was brought back alongside Nova.

 **Decypher Dragon** ( **ATK: 2800** → **3000** )

Kyo then held out her hand towards Renji and Tesuto, "Battle! Decypher Dragon attacks Daemon's Advent!" Decypher Dragon launched a red, electrical blast towards Advent.

However, Renji raised a fist, "Not so fast! I activate the Counter Trap: Attack Nullification! Your attack is negated and this ends the Battle Phase!"

Kyo didn't seem fazed by the trap as she pointed at Decypher, "I activate Decypher Dragon's monster effect. When my opponent activates a card or effect, I can use an Overlay Unit to negate the activation and destroy that card." One of Decypher's Overlay Units vanished before Renji's Trap was negated and destroyed, to his shock.

"And then I can Special Summon a Level 5 or below Machine monster from my Graveyard. I bring back Cypher Dragon ( **ATK: 2100** )!" Cypher Dragon was brought back next to Cyber Dragon. Since another Machine was brought out, Decypher's ATK increase.

 **Decypher Dragon** ( **ATK: 3000** → **3200** )

Renji, while still surprised, then smiled a little, "Even if you negated my trap, your monsters won't be enough to take out my LP."

Kyo, however, just narrowed her eyes a little before pulling out a card, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Limiter Removal! With this, all Machine monsters on my field have their ATK doubled!"

Renji and Tesuto were shocked when they heard the card's effect as they both shouted out, "What?"

The effect of Kyo's Magic made all of her monsters stronger including Decypher whose attack was growing larger and more powerful towards Advent.

 **Decypher Dragon** ( **ATK: 3200** → **6400** )  
 **Cyber Dragon Nova** ( **ATK: 2100** → **4200** )  
 **Cyber Dragon** ( **ATK: 2100** → **4200** )  
 **Cypher Dragon** ( **ATK: 2100** → **4200** )

The students that were watching were shocked by how strong she made her monsters in one turn. While watching this, Mikleo couldn't help smile a little, " _Impressive."_ Despite her holding back, she's actually pretty good and wondered what other surprises were in store. He then checked his duel disk and saw that it was done. He then put it away to watch the rest of Kyo's turn.

Finally, the attack connected onto Advent who was blocking the attack with its arms but the damage still went through as it forced Renji to lean on one knee. His monster disappeared afterwards.

 **RENJI LP: 4000** → **0**

While she didn't show it, Kyo was satisfied that was done before turning towards Tesuto who still looked surprised at her. Kyo narrowed her eyes before pointing at Gatling Dragon, "I attack Gatling Dragon with Cyber Dragon! Evolution Burst!" Cyber Dragon unleashed a light green blast of electricity towards Gatling Dragon. The attack connected and destroyed Gatling Dragon. The explosion made Tesuto placed an arm in front of himself to protect himself from the blast.

 **TESUTO LP: 4000** → **1700**

"I attack you directly with Cypher Dragon! Devolution Burst!" This time, Cypher Dragon unleashed a red and blue blast of electricity towards Tesuto. Tesuto was hit by the attack and forced to stand on one knee.

 **TESUTO LP: 1700** → **0**

 **KYO: WIN  
** **RENJI & TESUTO: LOSE**

With the duel done, Kyo put away her duel disk and proceeded to walk past Renji and Tesuto, not even bothering to hear them out. The students were surprised by what just happened and some of them looked at her, amazed her shear amount of skill she produced.

And then, Kyo happened to walk by Mikleo, making them looked at each other for a couple seconds before she turned her head and walked past him, not paying him any mind right now.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes a little as he watched her walk by, " _Well, at least I wasn't bored."_ He looked at his duel disk, " _Still, I got what I came for. Time to leave."_ Slowly but surely, he proceeded to walk out the court and, soon after, out of the building without any suspicion.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HIRAGI RESIDENCE (NIGHTTIME)**

Yuzu was in her room looking at the _Polymerization_ card she got from Sora, " _...I really hope Ruri is okay after what happened. Hopefully, Yuya was able to talk to her."_ While she didn't the chance to explain, she felt bad for Ruri mainly because of her personal problems with Fusion Summoning, whether she knows what they are or not.

However, she heard a knock on her door and turned towards it, "Come in!" The door opened and revealed Ruri who looked at her with a small smile. Yuzu was surprised to see her, "Ruri…" Ruri walked in the room and then Rin came out of the door following behind her.

Yuzu looked to Rin in curiosity and Rin, knowing what Yuzu was wondering, looked at her with a smile, "Ruri came in a few minutes ago and I wanted to come with her." Yuzu nodded in response.

The three girls soon sat down in order to talk. Ruri looked at Rin in curiosity, wondering if she knows about her "condition". Rin, having a feeling, looked back at Ruri, "Yuzu told me earlier today about what happened before with you...freaking out about Fusion Summoning." Basically, she heard everything from Yuzu about what happens to Ruri whenever she sees Fusion Summoning as well as what she knows.

Yuzu held out her _Polymerization_ card with a sad frown on her face, wondering what to say.

Ruri noticed it and saw what card Yuzu was holding. She frowned as she knew what it was: _Polymerization_. She looked down at the ground to think for a minute.

Rin saw the exchange they had and rubbed the back of her neck, feeling awkward about this whole situation and wondered if she's in any place to say about this. She decided to wait and see what happens first.

After thinking for a minute, Ruri shook her head and had a look of determination on her face, " _No...I can't be thinking like that right now."_ She raised to her head to look at Yuzu, "Yuzu." Yuzu raised her head to look at Ruri after hearing her name.

Ruri looked at Yuzu for a few seconds before she took a deep breath and then bowed while placing her hands in front of herself, "I'm sorry!"

Rin and Yuzu were taken aback by this as Yuzu was confused, "Huh?"

Ruri raised her head to look at them with a sad frown on her face, "I...reacted too rashly regarding my feelings toward Fusion Summoning. I didn't listen to your reasoning and I want to apologize."

Yuzu processed what Ruri said for a few seconds before looking at the ground with a sad frown, "No...I'm sorry." Yuzu then looked at Ruri, "I didn't consider your feelings first when I made the decision to learn Fusion Summoning so I'm sorry."

Rin smiled as she watched them apologized to each other. She then got in between them as she placed her hand on their shoulders, "Look, you're both sorry about what happened today. How about we just hug it out?" Yuzu and Ruri smiled at each other a little before deciding to go for it as they hug it out. Rin joined in the hug to make it more special.

After they finished hugging it out, Ruri was reluctant to say this cause of the mood but she had to ask, "Yuzu, why did you decide to learn Fusion Summoning?"

Yuzu frowned a little as she then looked at her _Polymerization_ card, "Well, I wanted to get stronger for both myself and you guys. I wanted to become a stronger duelist while also trying to catch up to Yuya."

Ruri narrowed her eyes a little as she was a little confused, "And...that's the answer you came up with? To learn Fusion Summoning?" She then looked at the ground as she spoke softly, "But...that's dangerous…"

Rin was confused, "Dangerous? Dangerous how?" She was confused as to what Ruri meant by that. Is she saying that Fusion Summoning is dangerous? However, a thought came to her mind as she narrowed her eyes at the memory, that hooded boy used Fusion Summoning and practically almost injured her. She had a look of realization on her face, " _Could that be what Ruri meant?"_ She didn't know for sure as it seemed like Ruri had it worse than her for some reason.

Yuzu stared at her card with determination in her eyes, "...I don't know what you've been through Ruri. Maybe it is dangerous to you. But to me, I see Fusion Summoning as a way to help and protect my friends...including you." She said that with a sincere smile on her face while looking at Ruri.

Ruri's eyes widened in surprise as she was taken aback by what Yuzu said. She was at a lost for words, " _Using Fusion Summoning...to protect me?"_ That kind of thinking never crossed her mind before so she didn't know what to think. She was almost baffled by it.

Yuzu stared at Ruri, "Think about it, Ruri. Whenever we saw Yuya Fusion Summoning, I noticed that you didn't get stressed like before. So, you have to know that there is some good in Fusion Summoning."

Ruri lowered her head as she was a little reluctant, "Well…" She thought about how Yuya performed Fusion Summoning, " _In my defense, Yuya is my friend."_ There's one of the differences between him and Sora. Again, she's not expressing hatred toward Sora, she just doesn't trust him so they're not exactly friends either.

However, she was reminded of something as she remembered Sora. She had to ask Yuzu about Yuto.

Ruri looked at Yuzu with a look that was both curious and cautious, "Yuzu, Yuya told me that you met Yuto the other day."

Rin was surprised as she looked at Yuzu, "Wait, really?"

Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise before lowering her head a little, "Oh...yeah." To be honest, she was going to tell Ruri earlier but she didn't get the chance this morning as Ruri left before she could.

After that, Yuzu began telling Ruri and Rin what happened after she asked Mikleo to teach her Ritual Summoning: about how she found Sora and requested him to teach him Fusion Summoning. Then, she told them they encountered Yuto and everything that happened right when Yuya showed up.

Ruri looked at the ground, "I see." Ruri narrowed her eyes a little, _"Sora definitely knows about me now."_ She didn't want it to come to this but it probably would have happened eventually. Now, she wondered what to do.

Yuzu was going to ask Ruri some questions about Yuto but then she saw that Ruri was getting tired as she yawned. Rin yawned as well before Yuzu eventually joined in as well.

Ruri stood up from Yuzu's bed, "It's getting late and I need time to think on this." She turned around and proceeded to leave the room but not before Ruri turned to wave at Yuzu with a small smile, "Thank you for the talk. Goodnight, Yuzu." Rin followed after Ruri and waved as well, "Goodnight, Yuzu."

Yuzu smiled a little as she waved back, "Goodnight." The door then closed which left Yuzu all alone in her room. All three of them eventually went to bed with Ruri wondering what might happen from now on.

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K  
** (LV: 8, Machine, EARTH, ATK: 1000, DEF: 3500, PS: 4)  
 _Pendulum Effect_ : "Superheavy Samurai" monsters you control can attack while in face-up Defense Position. If they do, apply their DEF for damage calculation. Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can target 1 monster your opponent controls: change its battle position.  
 _Monster Effect_ : When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can change its battle position. "Superheavy Samurai" monsters you control can attack while in face-up Defense Position. If they do, apply their DEF for damage calculation.

 **Superheavy Samurai Taka-2M  
** (LV: 6, Machine, EARTH, ATK: 800, DEF: 1500)  
 _Monster Effect_ : When you control no monsters: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. This card gains 300 DEF for every monster your opponent controls. If you control no cards and you have no Magic/Trap Cards in your Graveyard: You can banish this card from your Graveyard; draw 2 cards.

 **Superheavy Samurai Sasu-K  
** (LV: 7, Machine, EARTH, ATK: 1200, DEF: 2600, PS: 3)  
 _Pendulum Effect_ : Once per turn, you can target 1 monster your opponent controls: That monster loses 1000 ATK and DEF until the End Phase.  
 _Monster Effect_ : If this card battles, it gains 500 ATK and DEF until the end of the Damage Step. When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack: You can banish this card face-up from your Extra Deck; negate the attack and, if you do, add 1 "Superheavy Samurai" monster from your Deck to your hand with DEF less than the attacking monster's ATK.

 **Superheavy Samurai General Gamo-O  
** (LV: 5, Machine, EARTH, ATK: 400, DEF: 1900, PS: 9)  
 _Pendulum Effect_ : You can only Pendulum Summon "Superheavy Samurai" monsters. This effect cannot be negated. "Superheavy Samurai" monsters you control gain 500 DEF.  
 _Monster Effect_ : If this card is Pendulum Summoned from your hand: You can destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card your opponent controls. You can tribute this card: Add 1 "Superheavy Samurai" monster from your Graveyard to your hand. You can only activate each effect of "Superheavy General Gamo-O" once per turn.

 **Cypher Dragon  
** (LV: 5, Machine, LIGHT, ATK: 2100, DEF: 1600)  
 _Monster Effect_ : (This card is always treated as "Cyber Dragon.") If you control no monsters or if the only monsters you control are Machine-types: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn, you can activate this effect: 1 monster your opponent controls loses 700 ATK until the End Phase.

 **Cypher Dragon Remplacer  
** (LV: 5, Machine, LIGHT, ATK: 1900, DEF: 2500)  
 _Monster Effect_ : If you control a "Cypher" monster: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn, you can tribute 1 Machine-type monster you control: Add 1 "Cypher" or "Cyber" monster from your Deck or GY to your hand.

 **Decypher Dragon  
** (RNK: 5, Machine, Xyz, LIGHT, ATK: 2400, DEF: 1800)  
 _(2 Level 5 Machine-type monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect_ : When this card is Xyz Summoned: You can add 1 Machine-type monster from your Deck to your hand. This card gains 200 ATK for every Machine-type monster you control. Once per turn, when your opponent activates a card or effect, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card: Negate the activation and, if you do, destroy that card; then, Special Summon 1 Level 5 or below Machine-type monster from your GY. When this Xyz Summoned card is destroyed by your opponent's card (by battle or card effect): You can add 1 "Polymerization" Magic Card or "Fusion" Magic Card from your Deck to your hand.

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime, and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **So...here we go. This is something I was debating for a while but now I decided to finally go for it. I'll just say this: someone asked me if I was doing legacy characters and, technically, my answer is both yes and no. Meet Kyo Marufuji...I'll leave it all to the comments. I will say this: nothing against Ryo (in fact, I like him very much) but I decided to go in a different direction in terms of that character. Think of it as this: since there are different dimensions, there can also be different versions ( & possibly different genders) of certain people and Kyo would be one of them. Maybe that's the best way I can put it. I've seen a lot of shows involving different dimensions where it can be a bit confusing at times. (By the way, I hoped I describe her good enough so that y'all know what she looks like. I said before that I don't think I'm good at descriptions.)**

 **I'll say it like this: there will be legacy characters and Kyo is technically one of them. But, for some of them, I decided to change them into different people. Not gonna say which ones but there's only like two or three maybe. Basically, it's a little thing I wanted to do. And I'm not gonna say which ones will appear yet but I will say, besides Kyo, there will be more additions besides the ones already shown in the Arc-V anime.**

 **Maybe you all will get it or maybe you won't. Don't worry, it might make sense eventually as more chapters come out. Kinda rambling at this point but whatever.**

 **Now, for the record, the "Cypher" archetype Ky** **o** **used is not the same as what Kaito used in Arc-V. Like for example, Reiji's monsters, I thought they were D.D. but instead they were a completely different archetype. Something like that. In case y'all were confused.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Soul Hidden Behind Pain -** Yuya encounters Chihaya again and they started conversing after a while. As Yuya wanted a duel with Chihaya, when the conversation gets more personal between them, Chihaya suddenly wants nothing to do with Yuya and as her true feelings begin to surface as well, she then takes her anger out on Yuya...

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	14. The Soul Hidden Behind Pain

**I'm sorry for the long delay! Been on a break and was occupied with work, preparing for my next year of college and stuff. I'm not dead, just haven't had the time or energy to do it frequently especially with college holding me down. Hopefully, I can start updating more frequently starting maybe in October or November. Not guaranteeing anything, just saying it's possible. Sorry, I'm not perfect when it comes to making updates frequently.**

 **Thank you to everyone who sent messages, read and/or reviewed the last chapter.**

 **No responses this time cause there's really not much for me to respond to.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14 - The Soul Hidden Behind Pain**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HIRAGI RESIDENCE**

After a night's sleep, Yuzu, Ruri and Rin all gathered onto Yuzu's bed again in order to continue their conversation from before. Yuzu looked at Ruri curiosity, "Ruri, have you had enough time to think?"

Ruri nodded in response with a small smile, "Yeah, I think I did." She had plenty of time to think on what to do from now until the Maiami Championship as well.

Rin looked back and forth between them, wondering again what she should say or do in this situation. Usually, she would try to cheer up the both of them but eventually decided to wait until they finished talking it out.

Yuzu was looking at the ground for a few seconds to think before looking at Ruri with a cautious expression, "Ruri, I need to ask you something." Ruri was then confused, "Huh?"

Yuzu's expression then turned a little serious, "Have you heard anything about LDS employees getting attacked?"

Ruri and Rin were surprised as this was the first they have heard of this as Ruri was confused, "Huh? Attacked?" Rin's expression then turned serious as she narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean?"

"Yuya and I met Sawatari again a couple days ago and he told us that an LDS instructor was attacked and ambushed…" She looked a little reluctant to finish but continued, "by someone who uses Xyz Summoning."

Ruri was shocked, "What?" Someone who used Xyz Summoning? Is Yuzu suggesting…?

Rin was a little surprised and concerned, "Really? What happened to the guy who got ambushed?"

Yuzu shook her head a little, "I have no idea. That's all Sawatari told us. He didn't say anything about the instructor's condition." She then turned to Ruri, "Which is why I need to ask...do you think Yuto could have done that, Ruri?" She wasn't sure but she had to know and Ruri is the only one she could ask about Yuto.

Ruri didn't answer right away as she looked at the ground and was deep in thought for a moment. After that, she raised her head with a look of hesitation on her face, "I...I don't know. I don't know if Yuto was responsible." Her face then had a look of resolve, "But I do know that Yuto would never intentionally hurt anybody." She doesn't know why or if Yuto was the one who attacked LDS instructors but she's certain that Yuto wouldn't want to hurt anybody, at least intentionally.

Yuzu nodded a little after hearing that, "Oh, I see." However, she was then confused by this. If Yuto possibly wasn't the one who attacked LDS instructors, then who did?

Rin then looked a little curious, "So then, if it wasn't Yuto, who do you think it was Ruri?"

After hearing Rin's question, Ruri had to think for a minute as to who it could possibly be. She then remembered that Yuto might not be the only one who came to this dimension. She then gave off a small knowing frown, " _Shun…"_ To be honest, she wouldn't be surprised at her brother's behavior especially since he might be worried sick about her. However, she then confused by this, " _But wait...why would Shun and Yuto go after LDS instructors?"_

Rin saw how Ruri looked a little distant and shook her shoulder, getting her attention, "Ruri, are you okay? You look like you're bothered by something."

Ruri then gave off a small smile as she shook her head, "Oh, no. I'm fine. And...I have no idea who it could be." She had no choice but to lie about it as she suspects that it might be her brother. If she said anything about Shun, who knows what the others will think right now?

However, Yuzu and Rin could see that smile was a little forced on Ruri's face and narrowed their eyes with both thinking, " _She's doing it again."_ They noticing that Ruri might not be telling the whole truth but there wasn't much they could do right now since it is really up to Ruri to decide when she wants to talk or not.

Rin, however, decided to proceed to another topic, "Ruri, can I ask you something?" There is something that's been bothering her for a while now and she needs to ask Ruri this now.

Ruri looked at Rin with her attention brought up, "Hm? Sure."

Rin looked back at Ruri curiously, "Why do you think Fusion Summoning is dangerous?" She had a theory that might be why Ruri hates Fusion Summoning.

Ruri was surprised as she didn't expect that question, "Huh?"

Rin looked back and forth between Ruri and Yuzu, "Yuzu told me that you were bullied by someone who used Fusion Summoning and that made you hate it." She then grabbed Ruri's hand with her own, "If that's really the reasoning behind it, then you should talk to us more about it. Maybe it might help you feel better about yourself." She's trying to approach this as safe as possible.

Ruri then knew where this was going and smiled a little in sadness. She got up from Yuzu's bed before turning to Rin and Yuzu, "Yuzu. Rin. I appreciate what you two are trying to do but…" Her face was then hidden a little from the bangs of her hair as she frowned, "...I just can't. Not right now. I'm sorry but you wouldn't understand." Without saying anything else, Ruri turned around and left the room.

Yuzu and Rin could only watch in sadness as they watched Ruri leave. Yuzu whispered, "Ruri…" For now, they can't do anything to resolve this as of this moment so they decided to just leave her be.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (NEARBY) CENTRAL PARK**

In an alleyway nearby the central park, Chihaya had her left hand on the wall and was bent over from exhaustion. She was panting and sweating from the exhaustion as her eyes were flashing pink before turning back into their normal green color.

Chihaya was both irritated and tired, "...Damn it...not again. Why now?" Her powers are starting to act up again and she has no idea why or how it happens. She didn't know when they will appear as it sometimes happen randomly. Although, it took longer this time mainly since the last time was around a month ago.

Chihaya turned around to lay on the brick wall, "I need to calm down." Maybe if she calm down then maybe her powers will go away. She wasn't sure but it was worth a try.

Then, her eyes started to flash pink again and was blinking back and forth between their original colors. She then started to sweat a little from the pressure that was given.

Chihaya sighed in frustration before looking at the ground in sadness, "I hate this. Why can't these powers just go away?"

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION (REIJI'S OFFICE)**

Reiji was sitting behind his desk with Nakajima in front of it. Nakajima just finished explaining what Yuya's status was for the Maiami Championship. He looked at Nakajima, "I see. So Yuya declined the offer then."

Nakajima nodded his head, "Yes sir, regarding the request you made to the Maiami Dueling Association, even though he hasn't made the qualifications, he was still offered the chance to accept an entry into the Junior Youth Championship. I was quite shocked when I heard he declined. He said he wanted to earn his spot."

Reiji adjusted his glasses as a small smile formed on his face, " _As expected of Yuya._ It seems I did something unnecessary. The fact that he rejected the easy path into the tournament and chose to get in it by his own strength is expected from the pioneer of Pendulum Summoning."

Reiji's expression then turned serious as he looked at Nakajima, "Am I safe to assume that he's already searching for duelists in order to qualify?"

Nakajima nodded, "Yes sir. It appears he enlisted the help of Nico in order to help search for new opponents." Reiji nodded his head in response.

Nakajima looked at his tablet with a frown on his face, "And...regarding recent events, I have several reports."

Reiji looked at Nakajima, "Which are?"

Nakajima looked at Reiji before flipping his tablet over in order to show Reiji what was on it as he grabbed it. Reiji narrowed his eyes a little as he saw Mikleo's profile which didn't have a lot of information.

Nakajima frowned a little, "Regarding the request you made before, I am afraid that we have not been able to find any important information regarding Mikleo Sakaki's dueling record or his history. For some reason, this is all we can find regarding this man."

Reiji narrowed his eyes even more in suspicion as he was looking at what was on the screen. The screen was showing Mikleo's picture, age, and dueling record. However, there were many things about this that was suspicious. These are the only things that show up on Mikleo's profile and nothing else. And from the records shown, it only shows that Mikleo has dueled Yuya three times and nobody else is shown that dueled him. Reiji wasn't buying this considering how Mikleo was calm when he called out Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto weak opponents.

Reiji raised his head toward Nakajima, "This was all you could find?" There has to be more than this and can't help but think that there's something familiar about Mikleo ever since he first saw him but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Nakajima nodded his head, "Regrettably yes. This is all we could find in terms of his records. It is very strange."

Reiji stared at the tablet and Mikleo's picture for around half a minute, trying to figure out what to do. And then, making his decision, he gave the tablet back to Nakajima, "See if you can dig any deeper into this. I am sure that there is more than meets the eyes with this one." His expression then turned a little serious, "Also, I want you to inform me if you find anything critical about this man."

Nakajima bowed a little in response, "Yes, Mr. President." However, he then frowned as he swiped his finger across the tablet's screen, "Also, President…" Reiji raised his head with a wondering expression on his face as Nakajima continued, "There are two things that have happened recently and they have been bothering me for a while."

Reiji raised an eyebrow, "Two things have been bothering you? What is it, Nakajima?"

Nakajima then scrolled through different screens on his tablet before stopping, "Well, first of all, over the past couple of days…" He then gave Reiji the tablet again, "We've detected numerous duel energy readings and the results were Pendulum Summoning but as you can see…"

Reiji narrowed his eyes from what he was looking at. It showed Yuya's picture along with energy readings shown from him Pendulum Summoning. And nearby that reading was two more that were slightly weaker than Yuya's but still showed the same response as Pendulum Summoning. Reiji was a little sceptical about this: from the looks of it, it seemed like someone else was performing Pendulum Summoning that was slightly less strong than Yuya's.

Seeing the President's scepticism, Nakajima spoke, "I thought they were from Yuya Sakaki previously until some of our men did further investigation on this. It is confirmed that someone else used Pendulum Summoning besides Yuya Sakaki." He then seemed a little hesitant to finish, "And...the results weren't from duelists testing our prototypes including you, Mr. President." Basically, he's telling Reiji that the duelists that used Pendulum Summoning weren't using the prototypes that LDS was currently developing.

Reiji, while he didn't show it, was surprised that someone else besides Yuya performed Pendulum Summoning and it wasn't one of their tests either. A thought then came to mind, "You said _duelists_. You're telling me it was more than one person?"

Nakajima looked at Reiji, "Well, it was basically two people from the results shown but yes, it was more than one person."

Reiji was now curious, "...So then, who were the ones who performed Pendulum Summoning?"

Nakajima then walked up and swiped the tablet's screen while Reiji was still holding it. The screen then showed pictures of Yuzu Hiragi and Noboru Gongenzaka coinciding with the weaker energy readings.

"According to our analysts, we have determined that Yuzu Hiragi and Noboru Gongenzaka both performed Pendulum Summoning these past couple of days during when they were dueling. I am sorry to say that we haven't able to determine how this happened."

Reiji now looked like he was pondering something, "Yuzu Hiragi and Noboru Gongenzaka…" He watched their duels against the aces of LDS and, from he understands, they didn't have any Pendulum Cards during that time. So what changed after that? He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, " _What could have happened that made Yuzu Hiragi and Noboru Gongenzaka possess Pendulum Cards?"_ And from what Nakajima is telling him, these are actually Pendulum Cards just like Yuya's instead of the prototypes they were developing. By his theory, just like Yuya, they couldn't have obtained them through normal means but the question is how and when it happened.

Reiji then looked at Nakajima, "...I want you to see if you can find out how this happened. Also, see if you can observe anything different regarding their Pendulum Cards besides the energy readings." Nakajima nodded in response.

Reiji gave Nakajima a curious expression, "Now then, what was the second thing that was bothering you?"

Nakajima took the tablet back as he had a troubled look on his face, "Well, this next thing has nothing to do with Yuya Sakaki or Pendulum Cards. But according to reports from the duel control room, recently there have been multiple strong readings of Fusion Summoning occurring in Maiami City."

Reiji narrowed his eyes, "Fusion you said?"

Nakajima nodded, "At first we thought that the readings came from one of our students that were being taught Fusion Summoning at the school."

Reiji got a troubled expression on his face, "And it wasn't, based on the strength of the energy readings?"

Nakajima nodded his head, "Yes, even the readings from the ace of the Fusion Course, Masumi Kotsu, didn't even come close to them."

Reiji nodded his head, "I understand, ask the duel control room to keep monitor the readings." Nakajima nodded his head and left the office.

Reiji narrowed his eyes as he looked at his desk, " _Not just Synchro and Xyz but Fusion as well?"_ The fact that now Fusion is involved gives him a bad feeling that the battle approaching ahead may have already started especially considering the disappearance of some of their employees including Marco.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - CENTRAL PARK (SEVERAL HOURS LATER)**

At the central park, there were kids playing on the playground, having fun on swings and monkey bars. Yuya was on a bench nearby the fountain, staring at his deck.

As he looked at his deck, Yuya had a thoughtful expression on his face as he was thinking about the recent events that have been happening, " _Looking back these couple of days, I can't help but wonder what's going on."_

He narrowed his eyes as he thought about how his duel with Reiji ended and when he walked out of the building, " _In the end, I wasn't able to learn about what happened to Reiji."_

He recalled some of Reiji's words, " _Times have changed Yuya. I'm no longer the same naive boy you've met before. I had to become a "king" in order to get ahead in life. I have my reasons."_

Yuya sighed a little in disappointment, " _If I only I knew what those reasons were."_ He was a little mad at himself that he couldn't defeat Reiji. Sure, he tied with him and defended You Show _successfully_ but he wanted to reach out and help Reiji. When they first met, he wanted to be friends with Reiji and he still kinda does but it doesn't look like Reiji is willing to accept it. He has to talk to him the next time he sees him.

However, being snapped out of his thoughts, he heard something nearby him and turned his head and noticed a girl sitting on another bench that was a few feet away from him. She had her head down, making it look like she is looking at the ground. The girl had orange hair tied into a ponytail and was wearing a purple cardigan jacket.

Yuya thought the girl looked familiar, " _Isn't that…?"_ His eyes widened in realization as he realized that the girl was Chihaya, someone he met a few days ago right after his duel with Strong Ishijima.

From seeing who it was, Yuya then had an excited smile as he got up and walked over to her.

Chihaya was staring at the ground with a sad frown on her face and sighed a little, " _I guess nothing will change. I really am cursed with this fate."_ She hoped that it was not the case but she doesn't have much faith as nothing has changed.

However, she heard someone call out to her, "Hey Chihaya!" She then looked surprised and raised her head to see who was calling out to her. She saw that it was a boy with green and red hair while also having dichromatic eyes. He had a smile on his face as he approached her and stopped.

Chihaya, seeing who it is, narrowed her eyes a little, "You're...Yuya, right?" She remembers him from the time she had to deal with those idiotic bullies and he decided to jump in and help her.

Yuya nodded in response, "Yeah. It's nice to see you again." To be honest, he wanted to meet her again ever since he had the chance to tag with her against those bullies from before. She seemed interesting especially with her dueling skills that he wanted to talk to her a little.

Chihaya blinked in confusion and didn't know what to say. To be honest, she wasn't expecting to see him again and that it was a one time thing. However, now that Yuya is here, she feels conflicted over this whether he should talk to her or not.

Not wanting to take that chance, Chihaya got up and walked away while also speaking, "Yeah, sure. See ya later." She did not want to stick around especially if her powers kick in again.

Yuya, who was a little put off from Chihaya's coldness, blinked in surprise before he ran and caught up to her. He looked a little confused, "Hey wait! I wanted to talk to you for a second."

With her back still facing him, Chihaya replied, "No thanks. I'm not interested. It was nice seeing you again, Yuya, but I'm really not in the mood." She's trying not to be too cold while also trying to get him off his back. She did not need him involved in her life as well.

Yuya frowned a little in disappointment, "Well, that's a shame. I actually really wanted to have a duel with you." While he doesn't know what's bothering her, he at least wanted her to know one of the reasons he wanted to see her again.

Chihaya, who heard what Yuya said, turned around and narrowed her eyes in confusion, "A duel? Why do you want to duel?" From hearing Yuya talking, she could tell that he's not aware of her public image nor did he knew during the time they met. So why is he asking for a duel?

Yuya, happy he got her attention, had a small smile on his face, "Well, I was really impressed with your dueling skills from before." He then held out a fist towards his chest, "I believe that dueling helps connect people together as they become closer. Since I am a duelist, I want to learn more about you. And, hopefully, we can be friends." He said what he needed to say as it was from his heart. Now, he's hoping Chihaya would accept the offer as he held a hand for a handshake.

Chihaya narrowed her eyes in confusion, " _He thinks dueling helps bring people closer?"_ He doesn't know her that much yet wants to be her friend? She looked at Yuya's hand in reluctance, " _Friends…"_ Should she accept it so easily?

However, as soon as she starting thinking that, she then got a headache as she held her head in pain. She was kneeling down on the ground, clutching her forehead while Yuya looked confused, "Chihaya?"

Chihaya's eyes flashed pink for a second before turning back into her normal color. However, after that, memories began flashing in her head all at once as her eyes widened.

Flashes of light were happening inside her head as something came up. Small, faint memories of her parents, her little brother, and her life.

* * *

 _UNKNOWN LOCATION_

 _Flashback (6 years ago)_

 _From far of the countryside, a car was driving down a road on a mountain while snow was falling everything, making the land white and pretty. A young Chihaya was in the back of her parent's car with her little brother sitting next to her._

 _Her mom and dad were in the front as all four family members looked happy talking to each other. Chihaya and her little brother were enjoying themselves as Chihaya was showing him some of her new monster cards she got for her birthday. Her brother looked like he was ready to jump up and down in excitement as he wanted to hear her out._

 _However, a large rumble was heard throughout the car as they continued to drive. Her parents looked concerned and wondered what was wrong. Chihaya and her little brother had curious expression on their faces as they wondered what that noise was. Just then, a large snow landslide was moving down the mountain and towards the road._

 _All four of them heard the noise before looking to their left and seeing the landslide coming towards them as it was falling down really quickly._

 _Chihaya had a scared look on her face as the landslide was coming closer. After that, a scream was heard as she closed her eyes._

" _NOOOOOOO!"_

 _Flashback End._

* * *

As Chihaya was clutching her head in pain, Yuya had both a confused and worried expression on his face as he kneeled down to look at her, "Chihaya? Are you okay?" He wondered what's wrong with her.

After a few seconds, Chihaya stop breathing heavily before standing back up. She let go of her head with her bangs hiding her face before lifting her head, revealing a angry glare on her face.

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, " _What's with that look?"_ To him, it looks like an angry expression followed by resentment towards him. But for what?

Chihaya's glare intensified before clenching her fists and then, out of nowhere, huge gusts of wind were appearing all around the area. Yuya, who was taken aback, got pushed back into the air for a few feet before landing on his back with a thud. Then, windows were getting smashed into pieces, the playground equipment was getting lifted up and some are getting torn apart.

The people in the park were taken aback by what was happening and didn't know what to do other than run for their lives as they screamed in panic. Soon after, everyone except Yuya and Chihaya left the park and the winds weren't stopping.

Yuya, who was groaning in pain a little bit, slowly got back up and looked at Chihaya in confusion. He wondered what just happened and, looking around the park, how did everything get torn up. He turned to Chihaya in wonder, " _...Did she do all of this?"_ How would that be possible?

The winds were getting stronger as a pink aura flared momentarily around Chihaya. She narrowed her eyes as she glared at Yuya, "...If you know what's good for you, get out of my sight. Now." She's determined to make him leave especially since he now knows about her "condition".

Yuya narrowed his eyes in confusion, "What?"

Chihaya's glare intensified as the winds gathered around her as well, "I said...LEAVE!" As soon as she shouted, a shockwave went sent straight towards Yuya. Yuya was pushed back into the air and landed on his back again.

Yuya held his head while getting back up, "Ow…" He was a little hurt from the two falls he took but nothing too serious. Yuya could only rub his head in confusion as Chihaya kept an angry glare on her face.

Yuya narrowed his eyes at Chihaya as he was processing everything at once, "Chihaya...what is this? Why do you want me to leave?" He then looked around the broken windows and empty park, "And did you do all of this?" He had to confirm it himself because he wondered how one person can cause all of this wreckage.

Chihaya replied, "...That's right. I did. So what?" Her hair then moved slightly, giving her bangs that covered the right side of her face as some of it was untied from her ponytail.

Yuya, while still wondering why Chihaya wants him to leave, was concerned about something else, "I don't know what's going on but you could have seriously hurt these people!" Thankfully, he doesn't think anybody was injured as they all ran from the danger.

Chihaya narrowed her eyes, not responding to Yuya's statement. She figured he would have eventually run off and not bother asking questions in danger for his life. But, to her surprise, he stayed despite the risk of getting hurt a little bit.

Yuya now looked even more confused, "...What's going on here? What's wrong with you all of a sudden?" Now, he's wondering about Chihaya's sudden change in attitude which is a lot of different from just a minute ago.

Chihaya didn't say anything in response and had her right hand reached into her pocket. She pulled out her duel disk and placed it on her arm while activating it. She gave Yuya a cold stare, "If you won't listen to reason…" The winds got even stronger as Yuya put his arm in front of himself to shield himself from the gusts of wind. Chihaya was unfazed as still looked at Yuya, "Then, I'll force you to leave me alone."

Yuya moved his arm to look at Chihaya with a look of bewilderment as he heard what Chihaya said. Is she saying she'll make him leave by dueling? He was at a lost for words as he didn't know what to do.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Mikleo and Yuzu had their duel disks out as Mikleo had nothing but two face down cards on his field while Yuzu had Serena the Melodious Diva on her field.

 **Serena the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 400** )

Yuzu had her duel disk out as she held out a card, "I activate the Ritual Magic: Hymn of Blessing!" She held out another card as she shouted, "I tribute Aria the Melodious Diva in my hand and Serena on my field!"

The corridor to the holy church appeared as both Aria and Serena turned into balls of light that went straight towards the door. They went inside as the light got brighter. The doors then opened as Yuzu chanted, "Princess of the dragons that was gifted with light! Arise from your slumber, give blessings to everyone, and shine your magnificent wings around the world! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 6! Dragon Princess Deity - Saffira ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2400, LV: 6)!" Saffira appeared near Yuzu as her wings shined brightly around the field.

Yuzu had a satisfied smile on her face as she saw Saffira, " _Alright, I did it!"_ She successfully performed a Ritual Summon after learning all of the basics from Mikleo and now she did it during a practice duel.

However, she then heard Mikleo clapping as he had an impressed smile on his face, "Well done, Yuzu." He then turned off his duel disk, thus abruptly ending the duel. Both Mikleo's and Yuzu's card disappeared as a result. Yuzu turned off her duel disk as well.

Mikleo walked over to Yuzu and stopped a few feet from her, "I think you've finally mastered how to Ritual Summon. There's not much else I can teach you." He was a little happy for her as she was getting stronger as both a person and a duelist.

Yuzu nodded in happiness, "Thank you, Mikleo. You're a good teacher. Now I know how Yuya became stronger because of you." The way Mikleo taught her these tactics were simple and easy to learn; he pushed her hard enough to actually rise above it and overcome those obstacles. With those kind of teachings, it is no wonder Yuya got stronger as a result.

Mikleo closed his eyes as he made a satisfied chuckle, "Heh. Well, thanks I guess." While he isn't too keen on being a teacher, it is nice to hear some compliments about how he does things.

"Well, see you tomorrow Mikleo." Yuzu waved as she left the room and out of Mikleo's sight.

Mikleo smiled as he watched Yuzu leave, " _I can tell that she's going be something someday."_

However, he then pondered something, " _Which reminds me…"_ He looked around You Show for a few seconds, " _I haven't Yuya since this morning. I bet he's on one of his walks."_ Mikleo knew that Yuya sometimes likes to walk around town during the day for "open fresh air" as he once put it.

He then had a hand on his chin along with a thoughtful expression, " _Hmm…."_ He expected Yuya to be here by now but he's not which makes him wonder what happened.

" _Well, I'm sure Yuya can take care of himself."_ He knew that for a fact but he couldn't help but be bothered by it. Who really knows what's happening especially with the "craziness" that has happened these past few days.

After a couple minutes of standing and thinking, he couldn't help but worry a little as he gave off a reluctant sigh, " _...I better go look for him."_ He then proceeded to walk out and leave You Show in order to search for Yuya.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - CENTRAL PARK**

Yuya's eyes blinked in confusion as he wondered what to do, " _I always wanted to duel her but this is…"_ The way she is challenging is full of anger and disdain and he didn't know what it was for. All he knew was that it was directed at him for some reason.

"Anger...You're full of anger, Chihaya." He said that with a whisper as he could only hear it himself. Chihaya didn't hear it as she kept her cold gaze on him.

While still confused, Yuya stepped forward while feeling like he needed to speak, "Chihaya, I don't know what's going on but all of this anger...I can't duel someone that only duels with anger. Please stop." With what he knew, he was pleading with Chihaya to stop so that they could talk it out and figure out where all of this power and anger is coming from.

Chihaya clenched her teeth as she heard what Yuya said, " _What's with this guy?"_ She was more angry that he was trying to get her to stop only she couldn't. He doesn't know her that well and her situation.

With that in mind, Chihaya just raised her duel disk, "I duel how I want to and what I want is for you to get out of my sight!" Chihaya's eyes flashed pink for a second as her anger flared even more.

Yuya was hesitate as he saw that trying to reason with her wasn't working. He frowned as he looked at Chihaya, " _Reasoning with her isn't working, I got to do something."_ He then looked at the duel disk in his pocket, " _Do I really have to duel her like this?"_ He clenched his fists in frustration as he was still hesitate before making his decision. He reached into his pocket, " _I don't want to leave until I get some answers so I've got no choice."_

Yuya brought out his duel disk and placed it on his arm while activating it. Chihaya just narrowed her eyes as she saw that Yuya accepted but the winds around Chihaya were getting weaker as they slowly died down.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **CHIHAYA LP: 4000**

"I'll go first." Chihaya stated as she drew her card, "Draw."

Chihaya showed a card in her hand, "I summon Crystron Prasiortle (ATK: 500, **DEF: 2000** , LV: 2)!" Prasiortle was Normal Summoned in Defense Position to Chihaya's field.

She then placed a card in her duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

While still hesitate, Yuya drew his card, "It's my turn, draw!" He put the card he drew into his hand before grabbing another, "I summon Entermate Whip Viper ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 900, LV: 4)!" Whip Viper was brought to Yuya's field.

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he looked at Chihaya, " _If I remember, some of her Tuner monsters can Synchro Summon during the Battle Phase but she doesn't have any on the field. Just a face down. Even so…"_

Yuya pointed at Whip Viper, "I activate Entermate Whip Viper's monster effect! Once per turn, one monster on my opponent's field has its ATK and DEF swapped!" Whip Viper used its tail as it waved around in a hypnotic trance before swapping Prasiortle's strength.

 **Crystron Prasiortle** (ATK: 500→2000, **DEF: 2000** → **500** )

"Battle! I attack your Crystron Prasiortle with Entermate Whip Viper!" Whip Viper slithered on the ground and then jumped in order to pounce onto Prasiortle.

However, Chihaya narrowed her eyes as she pressed a button, "I activate the Trap Card: Urgent Crystron." Whip Viper stopped as it landed on the ground next to Prasiortle.

Chihaya took a card from her Deck, "With this card, I can Special Summon a Level 3 or below "Crystron" Tuner to the field with its effects negated. I Special Summon Crystron Rion ( **ATK: 500** , DEF: 500, LV: 3)!" Rion was summoned to the field next to Prasiortle.

"And then, Urgent Crystron allows me to Synchro Summon using monsters on my field including the one I just summoned! I tune my Level 3 Rion with Level 2 Prasiortle ( **3 + 2 = 5** )!" Both of Chihaya's monsters jumped into the air to prepare the summoning.

Yuya was a little shocked, " _It's not just monsters that she uses for that technique?"_ This might be a little difficult than he thought.

Rion turned into green energy rings that surrounded Prasiortle as Chihaya chanted, "Powerful intuition of machines! Combining crystals together in order to form a powerful machine! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Crystron Ametrix ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 1500, LV: 5)!" Ametrix was brought onto Chihaya's field as Whip Viper was still not moving.

Yuya frowned a little in response before shouting, "Whip Viper, stop your attack!" Whip Viper then retreated to Yuya's side. He couldn't attack Ametrix now because it had higher ATK.

Yuya grabbed a card and placed it in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." Yuya looked on with reluctance in his eyes, " _I didn't get to do anything and I still don't know why she's acting like this."_

Chihaya kept her cold glare as she started her turn, "My turn, draw!" Chihaya then took a card from her hand, "I summon Crystron Thystvern ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 1500, LV: 3)!" A mechanical wyvern covered in amethyst purple crystals along with a spiked tail and crystal wings appeared on the field as it led out a thunderous roar.

Chihaya pointed at Yuya, "Battle! Crystron Ametrix attacks Whip Viper!" Ametrix charged straight to Whip Viper before unleashing electric blast from its body onto Whip Viper, destroying it. And then, the electricity went straight to Yuya and shocked him, causing him to yell out in pain.

 **YUYA LP: 4000** → **3200**

Yuya kneel down a little as he looked at the ground in pain and confusion, " _What the…? What was that? I could feel that."_ It was like he felt the actual energy from the electricity as it shocked him. This honestly felt more _real_ than what Solid Vision does with monsters' attacks.

However, he didn't have time to process it much as Chihaya continued her turn, causing him to look back up, "I attack you directly with Crystron Thystvern!" Thystvern roared as it flew forward towards Yuya.

Yuya gritted his teeth a little as he held out his left hand, "I activate the Continuous Trap: Entermate Pinch Helper! Once per turn, when my opponent attacks me directly, that attack is negated!" Thystvern was blocked by an invisible force that prevented it from attacking Yuya. Thystvern then stopped and returned to Chihaya's side.

"And then, I get to Special Summon an "Entermate" monster from my Deck with its effects negated!" Yuya then took out his deck to choose a monster before grabbing one of them, "I Special Summon Entermate Odd-Eyes Sylph (ATK: 700, **DEF: 800** , LV: 2, PS: 5)!" Sylph appeared onto Yuya's field as she winked at Chihaya.

Chihaya narrowed her eyes before continuing, "Crystron Thystvern's monster effect. I destroy a face-up card I control..." She pointed at Ametrix which then got destroyed, "And then I Special Summon a "Crystron" Tuner from my Deck."

Yuya was taken aback a little, " _I remember this strategy somewhat but she's willing to destroy her Ametrix?"_ There must be something he doesn't know about the "Crystron" archetype and sometimes tells him that he's about to find out.

Chihaya took out a monster from her deck, "I Special Summon, the Tuner monster, Crystron Malacorse (ATK: 2000, **DEF: 1600** , LV: 5)!" Malacorse appeared on the field as it galloped and neighed.

Chihaya pointed at her monsters, "Crystron Ametrix's monster effect. When this Synchro Summoned card is destroyed, I can bring back a "Crystron" from my Graveyard! Revive, Crystron Rion ( **DEF: 500** )!" Rion was summoned back to the field thanks to the effect of Ametrix.

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little, " _She didn't use that effect last time…"_ He imagined that either because she didn't need to or because she was underestimating those bullies from before.

Chihaya then gripped her fist in the air "I tune my Level 3 Thystvern with my Level 3 Rion ( **3 + 3 = 6** )!" Rion turned into green energy rings that surrounded Thystvern as Chihaya chanted, "Crystals with the force of gravity, together with heavy machinery arises a new force! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Crystron Geltrix ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 2000, LV: 6)!" Geltrix appeared on Chihaya's field.

Chihaya pointed at Yuya, "Crystron Geltrix's monster effect! When this card is Synchro Summoned, one monster on my opponent's field is banished and then you take damage equal to the ATK of that monster!" Geltrix loaded its gun and fired a dark sphere towards Entermate Odd-Eyes Sylph, Yuya's only monster. Sylph was hit by the sphere and was then sucked into a black hole as she cried out.

And then, Yuya was hit with red electricity from the backlash of the black hole in front of him. He groaned in pain as he was taking this blast of energy. As soon as it stopped, the pain made him kneel on one leg as he was panting. Once again, he took actual damage from that attack.

 **YUYA LP: 3200** → **2500**

Yuya was groaning a little as that hurt but he was also confused, "...What's going on? This pain is unlike anything I felt when it comes to Solid Vision."

Hearing what Yuya said, Chihaya paused for a second before speaking in a neutral tone, "...That's right. Anyone I duel also feels the wrath of my curse."

Yuya narrowed his eyes in more confusion, "Curse?" What is she talking about? Does it have something to do with how she was able to create these gusts of wind and destroy property?

Chihaya looked at her hand before grabbing a card from it, "I activate the Magic Card: Synchro Cancel! This returns my Geltrix to the Extra Deck and I can bring back its Synchro Materials!" Geltrix disappeared from the field before Thystvern and Rion came back to the field.

 **Crystron Thystvern** ( **DEF: 1500** )  
 **Crystron Rion** ( **DEF: 500** )

"I activate Crystron Malacorse's monster effect! I destroy a face-up card on my field in order to summon a non-Tuner "Crystron" from my Deck! I destroy Thystvern!" Thystvern was destroyed as Chihaya took a card from her Deck, "And then I Special Summon Crystron Azucodile (ATK: 1600, **DEF: 1200** , LV: 4)!" From the explosion, a mechanical crocodile appeared on the field that was covered in azurite blue crystals and had a spiky tail.

From her duel disk, Ametrix's card was taken out of the Graveyard as Chihaya grabbed, "When Azucodile is Special Summoned, I can add a "Crystron" monster from my Graveyard to my hand. Since Ametrix is a Synchro Monster, it returns to my Extra Deck instead." As soon as she said that, she put the card back into her Extra Deck.

"And then, I banish Thystvern from my Graveyard in order to add a "Crystron" monster to my hand." As Thystvern was banished, Chihaya took a monster from her Deck and added it to her hand.

Chihaya looked at Yuya, "I end my turn."

Yuya gave Chihaya a confused look on his face, "Chihaya, what do you mean by _curse_?"

Chihaya's glare got more fierce as she coldly responded, "...What does it matter? Just start your turn already!" She was not going to budge to him on why she's doing this.

Yuya gritted his teeth a little as he narrowed his eyes, " _She's not going to budge. How can I get her to talk?"_

After some reluctance, Yuya placed his fingers on his Deck, "My turn, draw!" He looked at the card he drew and then his entire hand, " _...Maybe if I can damage her LP, I can talk some sense into her."_ His eyes then moved towards Chihaya, " _I got to show her that I'm not backing down and is willing to listen."_ Despite the slight damage she might have caused, Yuya feels that something doesn't seem right and he figured maybe he should hear her side of the story first before jumping to conclusions.

Yuya then took two cards in his hand and showed them, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Entermate Monkeyboard and Scale 6 Entermate Lizardraw!" Both Monkeyboard and Lizardraw appeared in pillars of light in their respective Pendulum Zones.

Yuya pointed at Monkeyboard, "I activate Entermate Monkeyboard's Pendulum Effect! With it, I can add Entermate Seal Eel from my Deck to my hand!" He showed the card momentarily before continuing.

Yuya held out his hand while the giant swinging pendulum appeared as he chanted, "With this, I can summon monsters between Level 2 and 5 at the same time! Swing, my soul's pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon!" Two monsters appeared from the portal, "Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 800, LV: 4, PS: 2) and Entermate Ballad ( **ATK: 500** , DEF: 1100, LV: 3, PS: 2)!" Pendulum Sorcerer appeared on the field along with another monster that was a humanoid witch that wore green and white clothing, her cape was light rose pink, she had a pinkish-red rose for hair along with vines as bangs hanging from her head, and she was carrying two fencing swords in her hands.

Chihaya narrowed her eyes at what she saw, " _Pendulum Summon…"_ She remembers Yuya performing that summoning method. She mostly knows how the summoning is supposed to work based on when she saw Yuya performed it before and, while she didn't show it, she is still a little impressed by it.

Yuya held out his right hand, "Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer's monster effect! When it is Special Summoned, I can destroy up to 2 cards on the field and then add "Entermate" monsters to my hand up to the number of cards I destroyed. I destroy Sorcerer itself and Monkeyboard in my Pendulum Zone!" Pendulum Sorcerer and Monkeyboard were destroyed as a result and then Yuya showed two cards he grabbed, "I add Entermate Corn and Entermate Rain Goat to my hand!"

Yuya held out a monster in his hand, "I place the Scale 3 Entermate Seal Eel in my Pendulum Zone!" He placed the card in the empty Pendulum Zone in which Seal Eel appeared in the column of light. He then pointed at Lizardraw, "I activate Entermate Lizardraw's Pendulum Effect! I destroy this card and then I draw a card!" Lizardraw was destroyed as Yuya drew a card from his deck.

Yuya then held out another card, "I Normal Summon Entermate Corn ( **ATK: 600** , DEF: 1000, LV: 3)!" Yuya summoned a female humanoid monster with long, blue hair and red eyes, she was wearing a purple outfit with white stripes at the bottom and white shoes, she also had a white horn attached to her forehead. As she was summoned, she twirled around and winked at Chihaya before posing.

Yuya pointed at Corn, "I activate Entermate Corn's monster effect! By switching this card and another monster I control with 1000 or less ATK into Defense Position, I can add an "Odd-Eyes" from my Deck to my hand!" Corn and Ballad twirled around the field for a few seconds before putting their hands in front of themselves.

 **Entermate Corn** ( **ATK: 600** → **DEF: 1000** )  
 **Entermate Ballad** ( **ATK: 500** → **DEF: 1100** )

After both of his monsters switched, Yuya took a card from his Deck, "I add Odd-Eyes Magician to my hand. And I will now place the Scale 8 Odd-Eyes Magician in my Pendulum Zone!" Yuya placed the card in his Pendulum Zone and Odd-Eyes Magician appeared with a smile on his face as he floated up into the column of light.

Chihaya narrowed her eyes as she recognized the monster, " _It's that magician from before."_ She knew what monster effects it had but apparently Pendulum Monsters have Pendulum Effects and that's something she doesn't know about yet.

Yuya raised a fist as he looked at Chihaya, "I don't know why you're doing this Chihaya but, if I have to, I'll open your heart with my dueling!" Chihaya didn't say anything as she kept glancing at Yuya.

Yuya took a card in his hand and placed it in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Entertainment Band Hurricane! I can return cards to your hand up to the number of "Entermates" I control! I control two so I return Malacorse and Azucodile to your hand!" Corn and Ballad nodded to each other before jumping up into the air and spun around, creating a tornado that blew away Malacorse and Azucodile as they grunted. Chihaya returned her two monsters to her hand, leaving only Rion on her field.

Yuya then held up another card from his hand, "Now then, since I control an "Entermate" monster, I can Special Summon, the Tuner monster, Entermate Security Jackal ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 600, LV: 3)!" Security Jackal appeared on the field as it howled with its sirens blinking.

Chihaya was a little surprised as she heard what Yuya said, "Tuner?" She looked at Yuya's monster in confusion, " _He knows how to Synchro Summon?"_ She didn't think that someone like Yuya learned that already.

Yuya held out his hand, "I'm sure you know what's coming next. I tune my Level 3 Security Jackal with my Level 3 Corn ( **3 + 3 = 6** )!" Corn jumped into the air as Security Jackal's siren bleeped before it turned into three green energy rings that surrounded Corn as Yuya began chanting.

"Warrior clouded in shadows, master of the elemental arts! Reveal yourself as the one who seeks honor and justice! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! Entermate Infiltration Ninja ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1300, LV: 6)!" Yuya summoned a warrior that wore a dark blue clad of robes around his body; the only skin that was showing was the top half of his face which was purple along with green eyes and he also wore a black headband. He was also holding a small dagger in his right hand as he got into a fighting stance.

Chihaya narrowed her eyes at Yuya's new monster, trying to hide her surprise and, somewhat, impressed emotions from seeing it.

Yuya pointed at Chihaya, "Battle! Entermate Infiltration Ninja attacks Crystron Rion! Stealth Kamui!" Ninja closed his eyes and did a hand sign before disappearing in both a green light and a puff of smoke. Chihaya could barely see movement but Ninja was moving at a fast pace towards Rion while being invisible.

Chihaya glared at Ninja and, while wondering what Yuya was up to, pointed at Rion, "Crystron Rion's monster effect! During my opponent's Battle Phase, I Special Summon one banished "Crystron" to my field. I bring back Crystron Thystvern ( **ATK: 1500** )!" Thystvern was brought back next to Rion as it roared.

"And thanks to Rion's effect, once again I tune my Level 3 Thystvern with my Level 3 Rion ( **3 + 3 = 6** )!" Rion turned into green energy rings that surrounded Thystvern again, "Synchro Summon! Appear, once again! Crystron Geltrix ( **ATK: 2400** )!" Geltrix then was summoned back to Chihaya's field as Ninja stopped dashing and was in front of Geltrix.

"Geltrix's effect activates! This time I banish your Infiltration Ninja!" Geltrix charged up its gun before firing a dark sphere that engulfed Ninja and made it vanish from the field, leaving only Yuya's trap and Ballad on his field.

Some of the blast was heading towards Yuya, who held up his last card, "When I about to take effect damage, I can send Entermate Rain Goat from my hand to negate that damage!" A silhouette of a monster that was shaped like a goat but it had a blue raincoat covering all of its body plus it was wearing a top hat and a polka-dotted bowtie. The monster then used its coat to shield Yuya from the blast before disappearing.

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little as his hand was now empty but then gave his Infiltration Ninja card a soft smile, " _Thank you, Ninja. You did well."_ He then put the monster card in his pocket since it was now banished before Yuya looked at Chihaya, "I end my turn."

Chihaya narrowed her eyes at Yuya, " _How disappointing."_ While she admits that Yuya is good, for someone who claims will "open her heart", he is not doing anything that is getting to her not that she would let him.

Chihaya put that thought aside as she placed her fingers on her deck, "It's my turn, draw!" She looked at the card she drew before placing on her duel disk, "I Normal Summon, the Tuner monster, Crystron Jadagon ( **ATK: 300** , DEF: 700, LV: 1)!" Chihaya brought out a small mechanical baby dragon covered in jade green crystals while also having glowing yellow eyes, sharp fangs, small wings, and a spiky tail.

"When Jadagon is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a "Crystron" from my hand. I bring back Azucodile ( **ATK: 1600** )!" Jadagon roared a screeching sound before Azucodile appeared beside Jadagon and Geltrix.

Chihaya held out her hand, "I tune my Level 1 Jadagon with my Level 4 Azucodile ( **1 + 4 = 5** )!" Jadagon roared again before turning into a single green energy ring that surrounded Azucodile, "Powerful intuition of machines! Combining crystals together in order to form a powerful machine! Synchro Summon! Appear once again, Level 5! Crystron Ametrix ( **ATK: 2500** )!" Ametrix appeared back on the field next to Geltrix.

Chihaya pointed at Yuya's monster, "Battle! Ametrix attacks Entermate Ballad!" Ametrix's wings charged up energy before launching itself towards Ballad.

Yuya gritted his teeth a little before pointing at Odd-Eyes Magician, "I activate Odd-Eyes Magician's Pendulum Effect! I target an "Entermate", "Odd-Eyes", or "Magician" Pendulum Monster I control and it can't be affected by my opponent's card effects or be destroyed by battle this turn! I select Entermate Ballad!" Odd-Eyes Magician nodded with a smile before pointed his staff at Ballad and created a clear barrier around her.

Chihaya didn't seem fazed as Ametrix kept charging forward, "Crystron Azucodile's other effect! When it is used as Synchro Material for a "Crystron", that monster can inflict piercing damage!" Ametrix lunged its right arm at Ballad and destroyed her.

Yuya, however, had a counter for that as he pointed at his other card, "Entermate Pinch Helper's other effect! When my monster is battling an opponent's monster, I can send this card to the Graveyard to reduce damage to 0!" Pinch Helper disappeared before Yuya was temporarily protected from the blast by a barrier.

Chihaya huffed a little in irritation before placing a card in her duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

She then looked at Yuya who, to her confusion, looked at her with a small smile as he was breathing a little heavily. She narrowed her eyes at him, "What are you smiling about?"

Yuya looked at Chihaya, "Well, even though this duel is a little rough, I am having a little fun from it, Chihaya. Even though I still don't completely understand, at least this is an exciting duel Chihaya and I want to help you." He spoke truthfully as he felt he needed to say it.

Chihaya's eyes widened in shock as some of those words reminded her of a certain someone. However, she then got a headache as she held her head in pain while her eyes were flashing pink.

Yuya's eyes blinked in confusion, " _What's wrong with her eyes?"_ He thought he was seeing things but he could swear that Chihaya's was flashing pink. He looked at them for a few seconds before realizing that's exactly what's happening. Yuya was surprised but then looked confused and concerned as it looked like Chihaya was in pain, " _What's happening to her?"_ Whatever this "curse" is, it seems to be affecting her quite badly.

As Chihaya clutched her head while breathing a heavily, she recalled something a certain someone said to her, " _Wow, sis! You're amazing! I wish I could be as strong as you but it was really fun dueling you! I want to help you out whenever I can!"_ Her memory then turned to when she and her family had a accident from an avalanche, reminding her of the pain she went through.

The pain in her head stopped and then she let go before giving Yuya an angry glare, " _Why...Why did you have remind me of that painful memory?"_ Hearing his words reminded her of her dead younger brother and family, bringing back the sadness and pain she felt nowadays. She was getting more pissed off at this guy for trying to help her out. She needed him to go away but it gets worse.

She looked at the ground as she clenched her fists, "What is with you…?!"

Yuya looked back at Chihaya a little confused, "Huh?"

Chihaya raised her head to turn her angry, pain-filled eyes towards Yuya, "What is with you trying to help me?! Why? You don't know me, yet you want to help. First, the moronic bullies from before and now this. You don't even understand what I'm going through!" Normally, she tried to stay quiet about this but seeing the memories is making her pour out her feelings hidden in her soul where she couldn't take it anymore.

Yuya was taken aback by Chihaya's anger before processing what she said and looked back at her concerned, "...It's true that I don't know much about you and that's why I want to know. I want to know what's wrong with you, Chihaya. I want to be your friend."

From hearing that, Chihaya couldn't help but scoff a little, "Friend? Is that right?" Her glare then intensified as stared at Yuya, "You listen here. I don't need friends and I don't want any!" No matter what Yuya is saying to her, she won't accept friendship ever again. Not after what happened the last time.

Yuya narrowed his eyes at Chihaya, honestly not believing what she's saying, "You can't mean that! What about what happened back when we first met? Remember when we dueled together. You looked like you were enjoying yourself after the match." From his perspective, it seemed like Chihaya wasn't fully being honest with both him and herself as he remember that she looked a little happy when they talked a little after their tag duel. While he admits he might not know her that well, he knows the smile he saw was genuine.

Chihaya narrowed her eyes as she remembered what she felt during her tag match with Yuya and shouting back, "The only reason I was _nice_ to you before was because you didn't know a damn thing about me!" She then clenched her right fist in frustration, "And now that you've seen my curse, I want you out of my life!" While she isn't admitting it, her time with Yuya was actually a little fun and it actually made her feel joy in her heart a little, something she hasn't felt in a long time. But that joy, happiness and her curse is exactly why she cannot have any friends again.

Yuya looked at Chihaya in confusion before realizing something, " _Wait...is Chihaya saying that she doesn't want me involved with her anymore because of her curse? Because I didn't know about her curse, that's why she didn't act like this before?"_ From she is saying, it seems like her curse is the reason she's acting like this and, as a result, for whatever reason, she wants him to go away because he knows about it now? He wondered what happened to her.

Chihaya then realized that she was letting her emotions get the better of her and impatiently shouted, "Start your turn already!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he failed to try and talk through to her, "It's my turn, draw!" He then held out his left hand, "Entermate Infiltration Ninja's monster effect! When this card is removed from the field by my opponent's card effect, I can bring Ninja ( **ATK: 2000** ) back to the field!"

Yuya placed his only card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Pot of Greed! Thanks to this, I draw 2 cards!" Yuya drew two cards and added to his hand.

He pointed at Seal Eel, "Entermate Seal Eel's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, I negate a monster's effects on the field!" He chose Geltrix as Seal Eel created a bubble that surrounded Geltrix, negating its effects.

Yuya looked at Chihaya as he held up three cards, "With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Three monsters appeared from the portal, "From the Extra Deck, Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer ( **ATK: 1500** ), Entermate Monkeyboard ( **ATK: 1000** )! And from my hand, Entermate Fusiongolem ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4, PS: 1)!" Pendulum Sorcerer and Monkeyboard appeared back on Yuya's field along with a third monster that was a stone golem-like being that had its arms positioned into a "U", it was wearing a stone top hat, and it had a fiendish face on the front of it.

Chihaya was taken aback by the third monster, "Fusion?" She heard the name of that monster and wondered if Yuya knew how to Fusion Summon as well.

Yuya then pointed at Pendulum Sorcerer, "Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer's monster effect! I destroy Monkeyboard and Seal Eel in my Pendulum Zone!" Monkeyboard and Seal Eel were then destroyed as a result of the effect before Yuya grabbed two cards from his deck and revealed them, "And then I add Entermate Fireflux and Entermate Gold Fang to my hand."

Yuya looked at Fusiongolem, "I activate Entermate Fusiongolem's monster effect! During the turn I Pendulum Summon this card, I can Fusion Summon using both this card and monsters on my field!" He revealed what Fusiongolem can do to Chihaya.

Chihaya narrowed her eyes at Yuya, " _So he does know how to Fusion Summon…_ "

Yuya then got fired up as looked at his monsters, "I fuse Entermate Fusiongolem and Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer!" Fusiongolem and Pendulum Sorcerer floated into the air before Sorcerer was standing on top of Fusiongolem as they both disappeared in a colorful vortex as Yuya chanted, "Pendulum illusionist of the entertainment! Become one with the giant born from soil in order to give rise to a reptile born of conduction and support! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 5! Entermate Conductor Gecko ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1600, LV: 5)!" Conductor Gecko appeared on Yuya's field as it chirped and sparks were flying all around its body.

Yuya called out to his monster, "As long as Entermate Conductor Gecko is on my field, all my monsters gain 400 ATK. Parabolic Charge!" Gecko chirped even louder as it conducted electricity all around the area, powering up all of Yuya's monsters as the electricity flowed through their bodies.

 **Entermate Conductor Gecko** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2400** )  
 **Entermate Infiltration Ninja** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2400** )  
 **Entermate Ballad** (ATK: 500→900)

Yuya then held out a card before placing it on his duel disk, "I Normal Summon Entermate Gold Fang ( **ATK: 1800** → **2200** , DEF: 700, LV: 4, PS: 3)!" Gold Fang appeared on the field as he howled and was charged full of Gecko's electricity.

"When Gold Fang is Normal Summoned, all my "Entermate" monsters gain 200 ATK until the end of my turn!" Gold Fang howled even louder as all of Yuya's Entermates glowed for a second.

 **Entermate Conductor Gecko** ( **ATK: 2400** → **2600** )  
 **Entermate Infiltration Ninja** ( **ATK: 2400** → **2600** )  
 **Entermate Ballad** (ATK: 900→1100)  
 **Entermate Gold Fang** ( **ATK: 2200** → **2400** )

Yuya then pointed at Ninja, "I activate Entermate Infiltration Ninja's monster effect! By halving this card's ATK this turn, it can attack directly!"

 **Entermate Infiltration Ninja** ( **ATK: 2600** → **1300** )

He placed his fingers on his card, "I now switch Entermate Ballad into Attack Position." Ballad stopped guarding before getting into a fighting stance with her swords.

 **Entermate Ballad** ( **DEF: 1100** → **ATK: 1100** )

Yuya looked at Chihaya before smiling and pointing at her, "Get ready, Chihaya! I will show you my resolve with my dueling! I attack you directly with Infiltration Ninja! Stealth Kamui!" Ninja performed a hand sign while disappearing in a puff of smoke before silently dashing through Chihaya's monsters and slashed her with his dagger.

 **CHIHAYA LP: 4000** → **2700**

"When Infiltration Ninja deals battle damage from a direct attack, one random card is discarded from my opponent's hand!" Chihaya lowered her eyes and saw that one of her cards was covered in a dark aura, which meant she had to discard it. She took the card and sent it to the Graveyard, not saying anything.

Yuya then had a small smile on his face as he held out his hand toward Ballad, "Now, Entermate Ballad's monster effect activates! When my "Entermate" attacks, after damage calculation, one monster on your field, Chihaya, loses ATK equal to my monster's ATK." He chose Geltrix as Ballad used one of her vines to wrap around Geltrix before spinning her around, decreasing its strength by Ninja's power.

 **Crystron Geltrix** ( **ATK: 2400** → **1100** )

"I attack Crystron Geltrix with Entermate Conductor Gecko!" Gecko charged up its body before unleashing electricity onto Geltrix, shocking and destroying the monster.

Chihaya, however, narrowed her eyes as she pressed a button and held out her hand, "Trap Card, open! Pressure Release! The damage I take from this battle is reduced to 0!" The electricity was then redirected before it could hit her.

Yuya frowned a little before pointing out something, "Entermate Conductor Gecko's other effect! When my monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, Gecko inflicts 200 damage to your LP!" Gecko chirped a little before unleashing a small blast of electricity on Chihaya, shocking her while she grunted a little.

 **CHIHAYA LP: 2700** → **2500**

Chihaya then looked at her deck, "Because of Pressure Release, I can now summon a "Crystron" from my deck." She then took a card and placed it on her duel disk, "I Special Summon, the Tuner monster, Crystron Citree ( **ATK: 500** , DEF: 500, LV: 2)!" Chihaya brought out a humanoid yellow-brown armored monster on the field that look like it was in the form of a monkey with a crystal dress.

Yuya frowned a little as he knew what was coming soon but decided to think about it later as he pointed at Ballad, "Entermate Ballad's effect activates again! This time I target your Ametrix!" Ballad used one of her vines to wrap around Ametrix before spinning her around, decreasing its strength.

 **Crystron Ametrix** ( **ATK: 2500** → **0** )

However, Chihaya noticed something about her monster. It seem to enjoy itself as it was dizzy and spinning around; it was soon dancing a little. Chihaya narrowed her eyes in confusion, " _What is happening?"_ She had never seen her monsters behave like this before.

"Entermate Ballad attacks Crystron Ametrix!" Ballad threw and used one of her vines to wrap around Ametrix in order to pull the monster towards her. Once Ametrix was front of her, she stabbed it with a flurry of jabs before finishing it off, destroying it.

 **CHIHAYA LP: 2500** → **1400**

"And once again Conductor Gecko's effect activates! You now take 200 damage!" Gecko chirped again before shocking Chihaya while she groaned a little.

 **CHIHAYA LP: 1400** → **1200**

Yuya snapped his fingers with a smile as he held a hand towards Ballad, "I now target Citree for Ballad's effect." Ballad nodded with a smile before grabbing Citree with her vine and spun her around as well. Citree was dizzy but had a dazed, happy look on her face as it was stumbling around a little.

 **Crystron Citree** ( **ATK: 500** → **0** )

Chihaya narrowed her eyes even more as she was getting angry and confused at seeing her monsters like this, "What...is this? What are you doing to my monsters?!"

Yuya just kept smiling as he bowed a little, "I figured if we're gonna have fun in our duel then our monsters should enjoy themselves too."

Chihaya's eyes widened in surprise, "...What?" To say she was surprised was a bit of an understatement. Even after all of the harshness she had given him and threats, he's still trying to reach her? Either he was more naive or idiotic than she thought or he's just that kind. Seeing that kindness brought out another memory in her head. She saw flashes of a black, long-haired girl with a cheerful smile on her face as she was enjoying her time with her. She then saw the memory of her death as she saw the blood from her body in the ambulance. She clenched her teeth in frustration as she almost wanted to cry from that memory.

Her bangs then covered part of her face as she looked at her duel disk, "Crystron Ametrix's monster effect. When this Synchro Summoned card is destroyed, I can bring back Crystron Prasiortle ( **DEF: 2000** ) from my Graveyard." Prasiortle was brought back to Chihaya's field next to Citree.

Yuya, however, didn't notice Chihaya's change in behavior as he pointed at her, "Now, Gold Fang attack Crystron Citree!" Gold Fang charged forward towards Citree as it was prepared to slash the monster.

Chihaya raised her head to look at Yuya with narrowed eyes before holding her right hand out towards Citree, "I activate Crystron Citree's monster effect! During my opponent's Battle Phase, I can summon a non-tuner monster from my Graveyard with its effects negated! I bring back Crystron Ametrix ( **ATK: 2500** )!" The gems on Citree's armor shined brightly as Ametrix was brought back to Chihaya's field. Gold Fang then stopped a few feet in front of her monsters.

"And then, Citree's effect allows me to Synchro Summon using both of these monsters! I tune my Level 2 Citree with my Level 5 Ametrix ( **2 + 5 = 7** )!" Citree turned into two green energy rings that surrounded Ametrix as Chihaya began to chant, "Crystals formed from the very heat of the Earth, assemble together into a soul where it's foes bow before it's mighty power! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! Crystron Bastrix ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 1600, LV: 7)!" Bastrix appeared on Chihaya's field, next to Prasiortle, as it's eyes glowed red and it let out a chilling screech that made Gold Fang flinched a little as it stood in front of the machine.

Yuya frowned a little as he knew what was coming next as Chihaya held out her hand towards him, "Crystron Bastrix's monster effect! All of your Special Summoned monsters lose all of their ATK!" Bastrix lunged forward with its tentacles towards Yuya's monsters with red energy around them.

Yuya clicked his tongue before shouting out, "I activate Odd-Eyes Magician's Pendulum Effect! I target Entermate Ballad again!" A barrier was then formed around Ballad as the tentacles wrapped around Gecko and Ninja as they were groaning in pain from having their power weakened. Gold Fang wasn't affected due to it being Normal Summoned.

 **Entermate Conductor Gecko** ( **ATK: 2600** → **0** )  
 **Entermate Infiltration Ninja** ( **ATK: 1300** → **0** )

Yuya sighed in sadness before looking at Chihaya, "Well, it's not how I thought it was going to go but I've got no choice. I attack Prasiortle with Gold Fang!" Gold Fang charged forward and sliced Prasiortle into pieces, destroying it. And due to Ballad's effect, Bastrix's strength was weakened as Ballad stabbed it with her sword.

 **Crystron Bastrix** ( **ATK: 2600** → **200** )

Yuya stared at a card in his hand for a few seconds before placing it on his duel disk, "I set the Scale 5 Entermate Fireflux in my Pendulum Zone!" A firefly in an orange suit and green bowtie appeared inside Yuya's Pendulum Scale.

Yuya looked at Chihaya, "I end my turn. Gold Fang's effect ends as well."

 **Entermate Gold Fang** ( **ATK: 2400** → **2200** )  
 **Entermate Ballad** ( **ATK: 1100** → **900** )

Yuya frowned a little in disappointment, " _I was hoping I can through to her by now but no luck. I'll just have to hold on a bit longer."_ He then looked at Fireflux, " _Fireflux allows me to negate an opponent's monster's attack by tributing an "Entermate" on my field and end the Battle Phase. As long as Fireflux is on my field, I should be okay."_ He then gave Chihaya a look of hesitation, " _But...why do I get the feeling that Chihaya still has something up her sleeve?"_

As Chihaya began to regain her composure, she drew her card, "My turn, draw." She then gave a sigh of irritation, "...I don't get you."

Yuya was confused, "Huh?" Chihaya seemed to calm down a little but she still looks irritated.

She narrowed her eyes as she stared down at Yuya, "...Why are you trying to help me? I don't need any help."

Yuya frowned as he felt a little sad from watching Chihaya, "Well...I may not know what's going on but it looked like you were in pain and I couldn't just ignore you." He gave his honest answer, hoping it would get through to her. Whenever he sees someone in trouble or in pain, he can't ignore it if he can do something about it.

Chihaya was taken aback by how sincere Yuya sounded. From hearing him, she can now tell he was actually serious about wanting to help her. She was surprised but then started to frown a little as she lowered her head to look at the ground. Chihaya was sad as she stared at the ground for a few seconds, " _He's...really trying to help me. But...it's no use."_ She had heard that before and look where it got her. Nothing good would come from being friends with anyone.

Yuya was confused and concerned as he saw Chihaya was shaken a little. He then stand firm as he continued, "Can't you see that I want to help you? We can do something about...whatever this is. We don't have to…"

However, he was interrupted as a huge burst of wind just hit him in the face while pushing. Yuya, caught off guard, then immediately put his arms in front of himself as he grunted from the force of the wind. It was soon becoming like a whirlwind around the both of them as the wind was tearing up the park.

At the same time, Chihaya raised her head to look at Yuya with an hostile glare while being unaffected by the wind she created, "It doesn't matter. No matter who it is, they always fall victim to my curse. It's not going to change and you can't do anything about it. Nothing good will come from being my friend." She regained her composure and went back to being cold, while trying to not show that she faltered for a moment.

As Yuya struggled with the wind while his eyes were a little blinded by the force of the wind, he heard what Chihaya barely and was confused, " _Nothing good will come from being her friend?"_ He was confused by this but then his eyes widened in realization as he had a theory, " _Is she saying…?"_

His thoughts were interrupted by Chihaya, who looked more angry and determined, "This discussion is over! It's time I end this here and now!" She then held out her right hand, "I activate Crystron Prasiortle's monster effect! By banishing this card in my Graveyard, I can summon Crystron Malacorse ( **ATK: 2000** ) from my hand!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he moved his arms to see better while he was getting used to the wind blowing by now. He saw that Chihaya was standing firm in her decision and he wondered what to do.

Meanwhile, Mikleo was nearby as he wandered around the park when he heard the noise from far away. He then saw that various playground equipment was torn up in pieces and trees were knocked over. It looked like a tornado hit this place. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, " _What happened here?"_

However, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a thunderous boom nearby and looked towards the direction of the sound. He was surprised for a second before regaining his composure as he ran that way in order to investigate.

After running for a few seconds, huge blasts of wind were blown across his face as it felt like it was getting stronger. He then saw what looked like a small tornado across a few feet from him. He was surprised again before hiding behind a bush nearby in case something happened.

Mikleo looked over the bush to see what is happening and was surprised to see Yuya and an orange-haired girl with their duel disks out, meaning they are dueling each other. Mikleo was a little relieved, " _There's Yuya."_ He then turned to look at the girl, " _But...who is she? And why is my brother dueling her?"_ He decided to take a closer look and, after a few seconds, he noticed that the strong gusts of wind were actually coming from this girl. The girl looked angry and hostile while glaring at Yuya, who had a sad frown on his face. Mikleo narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he stared at Chihaya, " _This energy...its coming from this girl."_ He didn't know what to make of this as he watched the two of them, unfazed by the wind blowing in his face.

Chihaya pressed a button on her duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Crystron Impact! With this card, I can Special Summon a banished "Crystron" to my field. I bring back Crystron Prasiortle ( **DEF: 2000** )!" Prasiortle was brought back next to Malacorse as Chihaya continued, "And then all of my opponent's monsters' DEF changes to 0!" Prasiortle grunted as small water waves formed around the field and slowed down all of Yuya's monsters while weighing them down.

 **Entermate Conductor Gecko** (DEF: 1600→0)  
 **Entermate Infiltration Ninja** (DEF: 1300→0)  
 **Entermate Gold Fang** (DEF: 700→0)  
 **Entermate Ballad** (DEF: 1100→0)

Yuya gritted his teeth a little before retaliating, "I activate the Trap Card: Entertainment Turn! This allows me to switch an "Entermate" monster's battle position. I switch Infiltration Ninja into Defense Position!" Infiltration Ninja then got into a defensive stance as he held his dagger.

 **Entermate Infiltration Ninja** ( **ATK: 0** → **DEF: 0** )

Chihaya narrowed her eyes before replying, "No matter what you do, I will end it on this turn." She then held out her hand towards Malacorse, "I activate Crystron Malacorse's monster effect! By destroying Bastrix, I can Special Summon Crystron Magniraffe ( **ATK: 400** , DEF: 600, LV: 1) to the field!" Bastrix was destroyed and in exchange, a mechanical giraffe with glowing gray magnetite crystals appear on the field.

Chihaya looked at Yuya, "I tune my Level 5 Malacorse with my Level 2 Prasiortle and Level 1 Magniraffe ( **5 + 2 + 1 = 8** )!" Prasiortle and Magniraffe floated into the air as Malacorse neighed very loudly and turned into five green energy rings that surrounded both of her monsters as Chihaya chanted, "Mechanical being inhabiting the soul of a warrior, inherit the power of purity as your foes gaze upon your magnificent white shine! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! Holy being of diamonds, Crystron Diamion ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 3000, LV: 8)!" Chihaya summoned a monster that was at least three times her size in which was an armored, silver mechanical knight that had yellow eyes, sky blue streams all around the armor, and crystals embedded on the shoulder pads and knees. There were also purple diamond crystals sticking out of its head as it look like the machine had long, purple spiky hair. It had diamond encrusted knuckles with a silver alloy on the surface of them. On the boots of the design, they each had a small jet on the bottom.

Yuya was surprised as he had never seen this monster before. Mikleo had an intrigued look on his face before realizing something from hearing the girl speak, " _Wait a minute, Crystron? Is this the Chihaya girl Yuya told me about?"_ He remembered Yuya telling him that the girl he met used an archetype called Crystron which sounded a little familiar when he first heard it.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes in suspicion, " _Chihaya Kotona…"_ He pieced together what he knew: the orange hair, the Crystron archetype, her age, and this mysterious energy coming from her. He pondered about her for a few seconds before his eyes widened in realization, " _Wait a minute...that's who she is!"_ He remembered where he had seen her before and, if it is true, then he had a bad feeling that it was not going to be good for his little brother.

Yuya watched in awe and shock at Chihaya's new monster, " _Crystron Diamion…"_

Chihaya shouted out, "Crystron Diamion's monster effect! When this card is Synchro Summoned, all other cards on the field have their effects negated!"

Yuya's eyes widened in shock, "What?" As soon as he said that, Diamion got into a ready stance before electricity was flowing through its body. Diamion then let electricity fly everywhere around the field, shocking every monster on the field including Odd-Eyes Magician and Fireflux as they groaned in response.

Chihaya pointed at Yuya, "Battle! I attack Conductor Gecko with Crystron Diamion! Carbon Crystallization!" Diamion gathered earth energy in its hands before forming a giant ball of light covered in diamonds sticking out like spikes. Diamion spun the energy around before tossing it straight towards Gecko. The attack connected and then engulfed Gecko in a bright light which illuminated the entire area as well as creating more gusts of wind that made Yuya put his arms in front of himself again.

Yuya, while having his arms up, grunted a little before shouting out, "I activate Entermate Corn's monster effect in my Graveyard! By banishing this card and another Entermate, I gain 500 LP!" Both Corn and Whip Viper were banished which led to Yuya gaining more life.

 **YUYA LP: 2500** → **3000**

Then, Gecko was being frozen into crystals before shattering into pieces, creating an explosion that pushed Yuya back a little.

 **YUYA LP: 3000** → **500**

Chihaya, however, didn't seem fazed as she kept her determined gaze on Yuya, "That doesn't matter. When Crystron Magniraffe is used as Synchro Material, if Diamion destroys a monster by battle, it can attack again!"

Yuya was shocked, "What?" From what she revealed, he knew he was in trouble.

Chihaya pointed at Yuya, "It's time I end this! Crystron Diamion attacks Entermate Gold Fang!" Diamion activated the boosters on its feet and launched itself towards Gold Fang.

However, Chihaya revealed one more thing, "When Crystron Diamion battles my opponent's monster, once per turn, that monster loses 500 ATK for every Crystron in my Graveyard!" Yuya's eyes widened in shock as he knew what that meant. There are seven Crystrons in Chihaya's Graveyard: Malacorse, Prasiortle, Magniraffe, Bastrix, Geltrix, Jadagon, and Azucodile which means Gold Fang loses 3500 ATK as seven diamond crystals erupted from the ground and trapped Gold Fang.

 **Entermate Gold Fang** ( **ATK: 2200** → **0** )

Diamion was then a few feet in front of Gold Fang before Diamion lunged forward and punched Gold Fang with its diamond knuckle. Gold Fang groaned in pain as it was knocked back before being destroyed. Yuya closed his eyes and tried to shield himself from the blast before being pushed back and launched into the air, yelling out in distress and pain.

 **YUYA LP: 500** → **0**

 **YUYA: LOSE  
** **CHIHAYA: WIN**

Mikleo ran towards Yuya with a concerned look on his face, "Yuya!" He ran for a few seconds before catching Yuya from the air and landed on his feet with Yuya in his arms. He kneel down on the ground to check on his brother, "Yuya, are you okay?" He didn't get an answer as Yuya wasn't responding with his eyes closed which told him he was knocked unconscious.

Soon the wind died down as the vision around the park became clearer. Mikleo raised his head and saw that the girl was nowhere to be seen. He narrowed his eyes, " _She's gone."_ In the short amount of time he was checking up on Yuya, she vanished. He chose to not think about that as he was more concerned about his brother as he looked back at him. He sighed a little in relief before placing him on his back with Yuya's arms around his neck, " _I better take him home."_ He proceeded to carry Yuya out of the park and into the direction of their home.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE (NIGHTTIME)**

After a few hours have passed, Yuya slowly opened his eyes and woke up. He found himself in his bed and wondered how he got here as he didn't remember what happened after Chihaya beat him. He looked down at the covers as he felt sad and confused, " _What happened?"_

However, he heard a knock on his door before it opened, revealing his mom and Mikleo entering the room. Yoko saw her son was awake and then had a small, relieved smile on her face, "Oh, you're awake." Mikleo smiled a little in response as they both walked towards Yuya.

Yuya looked at the both of them curiously, "Mom, Mikleo. What happened?"

Yoko's smile then turned more softly as she gestured to Mikleo, "Your brother said he found you asleep in the park after dueling someone. I was worried for a while but now I see that you're alright." She nodded in satisfaction before leaving the room but not before saying, "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. I'll let you two talk it out."

After their mom left, Mikleo pulled up a chair and then sat down. He then had a curious expression on his face as he looked at his brother, "So, mind telling me what happened?"

Yuya proceeded to tell Mikleo everything that has happened today from meeting Chihaya again to him losing the duel against her. When he was finished, Mikleo had a hand on his chin with his eyes closed as he was contemplating something, "Hmm…"

He then saw that Yuya had a look of regret on his face as he stared at his hand, "I wish I could have helped her with whatever was troubling her." Now, he may never get the chance again or at least completely find out why she did all of that.

However, Mikleo interrupted his thoughts, "Well, I may have at least a theory as to why she was acting that way towards you." He proceeded to press some buttons on his duel disk before showing Yuya what was on the screen. It was Chihaya's profile picture along with some information about her including something about being a "cursed duelist".

Yuya narrowed his eyes in confusion, "The Cursed Duelist?" Was this what Chihaya was talking about in regards to her "curse"?

Mikleo nodded in response, "Yeah. At first, I thought her name sounded familiar when you first mentioned her to me. But after what I saw, I knew I recognized her from these articles."

Yuya looked at the article and read, "Up and coming rising duelist named Chihaya Kotona made waves in tournaments and in the pro circuit." He then saw other photos of Chihaya and then a look of realization was on his face, "That's where I've seen her! I saw her on TV a couple times." He remembered that was a rookie duelist named Chihaya Kotona that was making waves in the pro circuit and he saw her on TV a couple times as a result. He then continued reading, "Everyone thought she would become a pro eventually. However, rumors began to circulate around this girl as duelists would get mysteriously injured whenever they dueled Chihaya. Now, by no means, are they life-threatening injuries but many people were afraid of Chihaya after those speculations. No one actually knew or had evidence if this was true."

Mikleo swapped his finger across the board as the article shifted to the next page. Yuya was more confused when he saw a photo of what looked like of people in the stands being in fear and disgust of Chihaya as she had a sad frown on her face while facing the crowd.

"Around a year ago, something strange happened in Chihaya's last tournament duel. After obtaining victory, Chihaya's opponent was then injured after the match. Witnesses and footage from the match saw that it was that Chihaya somehow managed to injure her opponent more so than what Solid Vision. While there is speculation that it was actually the risk of Solid Vision, there are more people claiming that it was more real than Solid Vision hence proves why there are more injuries than usual when dueling with the risk of Solid Vision. Chihaya refused to comment on this assumption and hasn't been seen in a tournament seen then. We have seen the powers of a witch although most claim that it is a "curse" when dueling her. Now, anyone who duels Chihaya will face the wrath of the Cursed Duelist and risk injury and maybe career threatening. Thus, the Cursed Duelist was born and people should watch out when encountering her."

Yuya was processing this information as he wasn't sure what to think of this. He remembered some of the things Chihaya said during their duel, _"That's right. Anyone I duel also feels the wrath of my curse. The only reason I was nice to you before was because you didn't know a damn thing about me! And now that you've seen my curse, I want you out of my life! No matter who it is, they always fall victim to my curse. It's not going to change and you can't do anything about it. Nothing good will come from being my friend."_

Yuya was a little suspicious of this article as something didn't seem right. It made it appear that Chihaya doesn't care about what happens to her opponents and is being labeled as "cursed". That doesn't sit right with him as he remembers how Chihaya genuinely smiled after their tag duel. Yuya narrowed his eyes as he thought about it further. He had a theory about this whole thing but hearing this made it more believable actually.

He raised his head to look at Mikleo curiously, "Mikleo, what do you think about this?" He wanted his brother's opinion to see if he had similar suspicions or not.

Mikleo wasn't saying anything for a few seconds before sighing a little as he scratched the back of his neck, "Well, I may not know much about this Chihaya girl or whatever this "curse" is but I do think there is more than what this article is implying." He then gave Yuya a serious look, "But...better question is what are you gonna do, Yuya?"

Yuya looked down at his deck with all his monsters in curiosity before having a look of determination, "...I still don't understand what this "curse" is but...I have a feeling Chihaya is not showing her true feelings. That smile before was genuine." With what his father taught him in entertainment dueling, he knows a genuine smile when he sees one. From what he was thinking, Chihaya was either not trusting of people due to how people view her as a walking curse or something else is making her behave like this which is more personal. He's not sure if he should get involved if it's really personal but seeing Chihaya's troubled expression during their duel is telling him he can't just ignore her.

From thinking all of that, he made a decision, "I...need to find Chihaya again. I want to try again and get through to her. So I can try to help her with whatever problems she has. I can't just ignore her."

Mikleo gave off a soft smile after hearing his brother's decision and then patted him on the head, "That's just like you Yuya. You can't ignore someone in trouble. And then there's that stubbornness which honestly is one of your good qualities." He looked down and then pressed a button on his duel disk, "Well, you might be in luck. You might get the chance to face her again. Because there are rumors that she might be in the Maiami Championship. I can't confirm if they're true or not."

Yuya saw a slim chance of hope as he listened to what his brother said, "If it is true, that she will be there, then I know what to do." Even if she doesn't show up, seeing a small chance of seeing her again is all he needed. He doesn't know where to find her so this is all he has to go for. Yuya looked down at his deck with determination, _"Chihaya, I promise to face you again. And this time, I will try harder to help you."_

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Urgent Crystron** (Trap Card) - Activate only during the Battle Phase if you control a non-Tuner "Crystron" monster. Special Summon 1 Level 3 or below "Crystron" Tuner from your hand or Deck with its effects negated; then, immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 Synchro Monster, using "Crystron" monsters you control, including that monster. During your Main Phase, except the turn this card was sent to the GY, you can banish this card from your GY: Return 1 banished "Crystron" monster into the GY and then, if you do, Draw a card.

 **Crystron Azucodile  
** (LV: 4, Machine, WATER, ATK: 1600, DEF: 1200)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Crystron" monster from your GY to your hand. If this card is used as Synchro Material for the Synchro Summon of a "Crystron" monster, that monster gains this effect: ● If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing damage.

 **Entermate Infiltration Ninja  
** (LV: 6, Warrior, DARK, Synchro, ATK: 2000, DEF: 1300)  
 _(1 "Entermate" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ During your Main Phase 1, You can halve this card's ATK until the end of this turn and, if you do, this card can attack your opponent directly this turn. If this card inflicts damage to your opponent by a direct attack: discard 1 random card from your opponent's hand. If this card is removed from the field by an opponent's card effect: You can Special Summon this card during your next Standby Phase. You can only activate each effect of "Entermate Infiltration Ninja" once per turn.

 **Crystron Jadagon  
** (LV: 1, Machine, Tuner, WATER, ATK: 300, DEF: 700)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Crystron" monster from your hand. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: Draw 1 card. You can only activate each effect of "Crystron Jadagon" once per turn.

 **Crystron Magniraffe  
** (LV: 1, Machine, WATER, ATK: 400, DEF: 600)  
 _Monster Effect_ : If a "Crystron" monster you control is destroyed during your opponent's Battle Phase: You can discard this card from your hand and then end the Battle Phase. If this card is used as Synchro Material for the Synchro Summon of a "Crystron" monster, that monster gains this effect: ● If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, it can attack once again in a row.

 **Crystron Diamion  
** (LV: 8, Machine, WATER, Synchro, ATK: 2500, DEF: 3000)  
 _(1 "Crystron" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Crystron" monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Synchro Summoned: You can negate the effects all other face-up cards on the field. Once per turn, if this card battles an opponent's monster: You can make that monster lose 500 ATK for every "Crystron" monster in your GY until the end of the Damage Step. If this Synchro Summoned card is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can Special Summon 1 "Crystron" monster in your GY, except "Crystron Diamion".

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime, and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **So, I bet some people were expecting Yuya to win. Well, surprise. I throw in a curveball :)**

 **As you can probably guess, Chihaya is a Psychic Duelist and her past isn't exactly the best. I didn't give all of it away. I'm saving the rest of the backstory for later down the road but I hope y'all liked it enough for this chapter.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one. I will try and update as soon as I can but I can't guarantee anything.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Dueling Concoction, Sora's Wicked Smile -** While still trying to master Fusion Summoning, Nico managed to find an opponent for Yuzu in order to qualify for the Maiami Championship: Michio Mokota. As his cooking themed deck is giving her trouble, Yuzu decides to test out her new Ritual & Pendulum Summoning tactics. Meanwhile, Sora confronts Ruri and then...

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	15. Dueling Concoction, Sora's Wicked Smile

**Thank you to everyone who sent messages, read and/or reviewed the last chapter. By the way, thank you all so much for helping this story reach at least 100 favorites and reviews! I really appreciate it especially since I'm still technically new at this. Anyway, here's some of my responses:**

 _ **Above the Winter Moonlight**_ **\- Thanks for the comment. I appreciate it.**

 _ **DragonbladeB5**_ **\- Happy to have you here. :) Yes, I know who Isao is. Honestly, I think Yugi would win against him. As for the fusions, got no clue XD**

 _ **EternalKing**_ **\- I mean...I could see your arguments and I have nothing against them. I just have a certain way of writing a story. If you don't like it, that's fine. I'm not gonna go on a full tirade of this but I'll just say that sometimes I save stuff for future chapters and I write whatever I, in my opinion, think would fit the character(s).**

 _ **Hopeshard**_ **\- I believe in the first chapter I described what he was wearing. In that same chapter, I did describe his actual looks in a flashback. But just in case, I fixed the first chapter a little so it should be more clear. Sorry about the confusion.**

 **Rgriffin8999 - Haha. Ok. I wasn't quite sure who you were talking about at first. But, now that I know, we'll see. That would be hilarious. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 15 - Dueling Concoction, Sora's Wicked Smile**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HIRAGI RESIDENCE**

Yuzu exited her bedroom to see Ruri and Rin at the dinner table with Shuzo cooking some eggs nearby in the kitchen.

Rin saw Yuzu and smiled, "Good morning, Yuzu. Had a good sleep?"

Yuzu nodded in response, "Yeah." She then got into a chair next to the two girls with Ruri at her left and Rin on her right.

Shuzo then noticed Yuzu woke up as he was cooking, "Ah, good morning Yuzu! Breakfast is almost ready!" Yuzu nodded in response as she clenched her fists a little on the table.

Ruri noticed this and gave a curious look to Yuzu, "Are you okay, Yuzu?"

Yuzu shook her head with a small smile, "I'm fine. It's just that my qualifying match is today and...to be honest, I'm a little anxious." She thinks she'll be fine but, deep down, she wonders if she's fully master Ritual Summoning yet. It would a good opportunity to test it out.

Ruri saw her hesitation but then gave off a sweet smile, "Don't worry about it, Yuzu. I'm sure you'll do great."

Rin had an excited look on her face, "Speaking of duels, I have one later today."

Ruri looked back at Rin curiously, "You need to win six duels in a row in order to qualify, right? Will you be okay?"

Rin nodded in reassurance and confidence, "Don't worry. I'm sure me and Yuzu can pull it off."

Shuzo then arrived with eggs and bacon as he passed the plates to them, "Here you go, girls. Enjoy!" Yuzu and the other two smiled, "Thank you very much!"

All four of them proceeded to eat and then, after a minute, Yuzu and Ruri heard a sigh which made them turn to Rin who had a peaceful, happy look on her face with stars in her eyes that made it look like she was in paradise.

Rin sighed happily, "I still can't over how great this food is." She had never tasted anything this good back home and only wished she could have had it sooner. When she was living in the Commons, all she and Yugo had were noodles and other mediocre food products. They were good but now she's has been enjoying the food here more often ever since she first had Shuzo's cooking which was around a week ago when she first came here.

The other three sweatdropped from seeing Rin being in a daze from just eating normal food. Yuzu and Ruri smiled a little as they were both of thinking of the same thing, " _Well, Rin did say she was an orphan back home."_ They were at least happy to see Rin enjoying herself as scarfed down her food.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

Yuya had woken up after a good night sleep as he stretched his arms out and yawned a little. He got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom sink to wash his face. He was getting ready in order to watch Yuzu's duel for her qualification into the Maiami Championship. He dried his face and looked at himself in the mirror, " _Today is Yuzu's qualifying match, I'll be cheering her on."_

Yuya took a deep breath before he had a smile on his face. He then exited the bathroom and then heard barking which made him turn to see Ang coming towards him with Kohru close behind him, "Good morning Ang, and you too Kohru."

He then looked at the other two dogs where one was brown and the other was fluffy, "And good morning to the two of you as well, Watt and Kilo." However, he then noticed two more cats behind them that he had never seen before, "Wait...there are two more?"

Yuya sighed a little before rubbing the back of his neck, "Mom must have picked up more strays again…"

He entered the kitchen when he heard Sora's voice, "Ah, Yuya! Good morning!" Sora was sitting at the table with a fork and knife in his hands.

Yuya walked over to him and looked at him, "Good morning. You've made yourself completely at home." Lately, he has been seeing Sora staying in his home more often than usual. When he first met him, this might have bothered him a little but not anymore.

Sora smiled in response while closing his eyes, "It's fine because we're friends, Yuya." He then turned his head, "Good luck in your matches that start later."

Yuya replied, "Thanks, but today Yuzu is the one who has her match first." After yesterday, he redid some calculations and after he lost his duel against Chihaya, his current win percentage is 57% (29/51) and now he needs another win to make up for it. So, he now needs four wins instead of just three now in order to get to 60%.

Sora still smiled while he nodded a little, "Yeah. I'll be cheering her on. I'm trying to enter the championship because I want to enter with you, Yuzu and the others."

Yuya raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Don't you also have a duel today for the right to enter?"

Sora nodded as he moved his arms in excitement, "Yeah. Since I only have to win six matches in a row, it'll be easy." Yuya sighed a little when he heard that. It seemed like Sora was either over confident or he had a few tricks up his sleeve, and he couldn't tell which one was it.

Yuya then turned towards his mom, "Hey mom, is breakfast ready?" Sora looked towards Yoko with an excited smile on his face.

However, both of them looked confused as Yoko held up a hand, "Wait just a little longer. I'm making mille-feuille pork cutlets and special salad." She was looking a little troubled as she was trying to follow a recipe she had looked up on the internet.

Yuya walked over to his mom, "Huh? Instead of overwhelming yourself with something you haven't done, why not make the usual pancakes?"

Yoko looked more conflicted and troubled, "But this is Michy's recipe. He's popular among housewives."

Yuya sighed a little, "Whatever, just hurry up please."

Yoko looked back at her son, "I said wait!"

"But I'm gonna be late for Yuzu's duel if you don't hurry up!" Yoko then cried as the sound of a plate breaking echoed around the kitchen, "Ahh! You made me mess up!" Sora was watching the exchange with amusement as he was drinking milk.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - KIRIGAKURE COOKING SCHOOL**

Yuya was walking across the street with a depressed look on his face while holding his stomach. Unfortunately for him, he didn't get any breakfast this morning. He sighed in sadness before hearing a shout, "Yuya!" He looked up and saw that Yuzu and Mikleo were waiting for him as Yuzu smiled while waving at him.

Yuya smiled a little as he walked towards them, "Hey, Yuzu. Mikleo." At least he made it on time since the duel apparently didn't start yet.

Mikleo, however, noticed Yuya holding his stomach with his right hand and gave a knowing look, "Mom couldn't finish her dish in time?"

Yuya sighed in response, "I had to leave without eating breakfast."

Yuzu was a little concerned but then scolded Yuya, "Yuya! You don't have to rush to watch my match!" It was a small thing but she couldn't help but scold Yuya a little for at least not eating something.

Yuya gave a sheepish smile, "Sorry, but today is your qualifying match and I didn't want to miss it."

Yuzu huffed a little in frustration, "You…"

Mikleo nonchalantly pulled out a biscuit from a paper bag he was carrying, "Good thing I ordered take out for my breakfast today." He then took a bite out of it as he was enjoying the food.

Yuya then turned to his brother with a hopeful expression on his face, "Did you get me any?!"

Mikleo, however, just shrugged his shoulders as he was still eating, "Sorry, didn't know I had to get you food as well." Yuya narrowed his eyes in irritation as that was a obviously blatant lie and he was messing with him a little.

Mikleo then turned his attention to the building nearby, "Well, maybe you won't have to worry about that."

Yuya was confused, "What do you…?" He was interrupted by a delirious aroma he was smelling as he looked up in amazement, "What's this smell?"

Yuzu was confused as well before smelling the same thing as well, "It smells really…"

Yuya finished her sentence with an excited smile, "...delicious!" He then ran off past Yuzu and Mikleo to see where that smell was coming from. Mikleo and Yuzu proceeded to go after Yuya.

Yuya followed the smell to a building and then stopped, "So, it's coming from here huh?" Yuzu and Mikleo then arrived after and stopped behind Yuya. Yuya looked up at the yellow sign above the doors, "Kirigakure Cooking School?"

Yuzu saw the sign and blinked in confusion before she had a look of realization on her face, "Wait, isn't this where Nico asked us to meet him here for my duel?" Yuya was then confused. Mikleo didn't say anything as he looked at the sign but deep down he knew there was more to this than meets the eye.

However, Yuya and Yuzu stepped back in shock as Nico appeared in front of them with a large smile on his face, "I've been waiting for you Yuzu, Yuya." He then moved his hands in gesture toward the doors, "Now, let's get inside shall we?"

Yuya pointed at the building in confusion, "But...isn't this just a cooking school?" Yuzu nodded a little in agreement, "Why is my duel here?"

Mikleo narrowed his eyes at Nico in both suspicion and skepticism. Yuya told him what happened in regards to meeting him a couple days ago and, to be honest, he was suspicious about this. Yuya said that maybe we could trust him since he seems like a sincere guy but he told Yuya that he'll still keep an eye on him just in case as he still doesn't like people involved in business and other stuff, remembering his encounter with Reiji's mother.

Nico put his hands on both Yuya and Yuzu's shoulders and push them forward toward the entrance, "It's fine now. Let's hurry." Mikleo then followed behind, not saying anything.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - DOWNTOWN**

"Ahhhh! R-Rin! Please be careful!" Ruri was freaking out a little as she was riding on Rin's duel runner while holding onto Rin as she was driving. She had never ridden anything like a motorcycle before so she was nervous about it. Ruri was wearing a purple and blue helmet on her head while Rin had her pink and white helmet back on.

Rin didn't turn her head but had a reassuring smile on her face, "Don't worry, Ruri. I know how to drive with my runner."

They have been driving around the city for a few minutes in order for Rin to drop off wherever Ruri wants to be dropped off and then get to her duel in time. While she was riding her runner, Rin was admiring the views from the city since she didn't really look around too much ever since coming here. She has to admit it does look nicer than some of the stuff back home but the Tops probably still had the better lifestyle.

Ruri, while still a little nervous, looked around the area before shouting, "Stop right here, Rin!" Rin heard that and hit the brakes on her runner which made the vehicle slow down before coming to a complete stop. They ended up in the middle of a central area of Maiami City where many people were staring at them with confusion and surprised expressions on their faces.

Rin turned to look at Ruri, who was getting off her runner, "You're sure don't want to see my match?"

Ruri gave her an apologetic smile, "Sorry, but I really want to try to find Yuto." As much as she wanted to cheer Rin on, this is a good opportunity to try and find Yuto or her brother.

Rin nodded in understanding, "Okay. I'll try to find you later so that we don't miss the end of Yuzu's match when I'm done with mine." Ruri nodded in response before Rin put her visor back on and drove her runner off in the opposite direction.

Ruri sighed a little before walking around the streets with a curious expression on her face. She turned her head back and forth as she walking and found nothing.

Ruri stopped to look at the ground for a second, " _Given our situation, I don't think they would just be out in the open. How can I find out where they are?"_ She then decided to look in places that are less obvious.

Unbeknownst to her, however, she was being watched from a distance and that person had a small smile on his face. That person was then slowly following her as she went across an alleyway.

Ruri was around a dark, empty alleyway and was trying to see if there was anything suspicious around here. After looking around for a minute, her eyes widened in surprise a little as she noticed a presence near her. It felt like someone was watching her from a distance.

She turned around with a cautious look on her face as she called out, "I know you're watching me! Please come out!"

At first, she got no response. But then, a few seconds later someone came from behind a garbage can and it was too dark to see who it was. However, light then shined down in the alleyway and the person was revealed: Sora. Sora had a sweet smile on his face as he looked Ruri, "Hello, Ruri."

Ruri's expression softened a little bit but still looked cautious, "Sora…"

Sora wasn't saying anything but was looking at her with a knowing smile on her face. Ruri was seeing this and, remembering what Yuzu told her, she knew Sora was confronting her on that based on why he seemed to follow her around. She frowned as she had a feeling she knew what was going to happen next.

Sora brought out a lollipop and chewed on it as his grin grew bigger, "Now, let's begin Ruri."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - KIRIGAKURE COOKING SCHOOL**

Yuya and the others entered an arena that had orange flooring with a flower on the design. Yuya and Yuzu looked around and saw lots of students cooking various meals around them whether they were seasoning, stirring, or heating them up. Yuya smelled the air around and had a happy smile on his face as his nostrils flared up, "Man, it smells so delicious!"

Yuzu sweatdropped as she had a small smile on her face, "Yuya." She understands he might be hungry but his antics might not be the best time right now.

However, Yuya noticed a banner above their heads, "Huh? 'Michy Love'?" He was confused but remembered something his mom said, "Wait...isn't Michy the guy that mom mentioned earlier?"

Mikleo nodded, "The very same." Yuya turned to Mikleo in confusion and Yuzu looked in curiosity as it seemed like Mikleo knew who he was.

But before they could both ask him, they heard Nico announcing on a microphone, "Allow me to introduce your opponent, Yuzu. Your opponent will be...Michy! Michio Mokota!" Yuzu saw how smoke appeared in the stands and a teenage boy appeared from it. The smoke soon cleared up and the boy, who had with orange hair, featuring a red bang that hangs down at the front, pale skin and freckles, was waving at the audience with a smile. He was dressed in a white undershirt covered by a light pink shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark blue waistcoat and red tie. He also wears cream pants with a yellow pattern going round each leg alongside brown shoes.

Yuya looked on in shock as it really was the guy that mom mentioned because he remembered seeing him in a photo of the recipe his mom was trying to follow. Yuzu had a perplexed look on her face as she didn't know what to make of this. He's a teenage chef, but he's also a duelist? Mikleo just stared at him, not really having much to say about it.

Michio walked towards them, "You must be Yuzu Hiragi, correct?" He had his attention on her as she got over her confusion and nodded in response.

Nico appeared before Yuya and Yuzu, "Michio is a talented young chef who has created his own recipes. He's very popular with housewives who have trouble creating their daily menus." Yuya looked at Michio, seeing as how that description fit his mother, although she doesn't mostly worry about the daily menu since she knows what he and Mikleo want.

However, Yuya's stomach growled which made him embarrassed a little. Yuzu sweatdropped while having a nervous smile from hearing that. Nico looked irritated but Michio just smiled at Yuya, "It seems you're very hungry. You must be Yuya Sakaki."

Yuya rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Uh, yeah. Sorry, I didn't get to eat breakfast, and since everyone is cooking, it smells delicious."

Michio nodded with a smile on his face, "Well then, how about after my match with Yuzu, I can also treat you to a few servings with a cooking duel based on my own perfect recipe?" Yuya narrowed his eyes in confusion, " _He's that confident that he calls his recipes perfect?"_

Yuzu heard what Michio said and couldn't help but feel annoyed by this. It was like he was saying after he was done beating her, he'll beat Yuya next with his skills. She was being underestimated and that upset her a little bit.

However, she heard someone yell, "Principal Kirigakure!" Yuzu and the other followed the voice as they turned and saw a black-haired woman with glasses yelling at a man dressed as a chef with a red cape and a crown on his head, "What's the meaning of this? Michio has already qualified for the Junior Youth Championship, so why is he having another official match?" The woman appeared to be quite upset at the man for setting up a seemingly meaningless match.

The man, who was obviously Principal Kirigakure, looked back at the woman a little troubled, "Like I explained before-"

However, he was interrupted by Michio, "It's fine, Mama." Michio's mom turned to him, looking a little surprised, as Michio walked over to her with a smile, "Yuzu Hiragi is the daughter of Shuzo Hiragi, the owner of You Show Duel School; founded by Yusho Sakaki as well."

Yuzu rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as Michio continued, "She's also Yuya Sakaki's friend who defeated Strong Ishijima. She seems like she'll be a good challenge, so I'll cook something up for her." Yuzu then frowned a little as it sounded she was being downgraded while Yuya just chuckled nervously in response and Nico just smiled.

Michio's mom walked over to him with a smile, "You're right. This will be easy for you. Show her your skills that rival LDS's top class."

Michio nodded his head, "Leave it to me, Mama." As Michio walked off, his mama followed him as she smiled, "Mama will cheer you on, so good luck."

As Yuya and Yuzu looked after them, they heard someone call to them, "Big Bro Yuya! Big Sis Yuzu!" Yuzu, Yuya and Mikleo turned to the sound of the voice and saw the kids standing next to them. Yuzu smiled at the three of them, "You came!"

Ayu smiled at her, "Of course we did!" Tatsuya nodded as he smiled, "Today is Big Sis Yuzu's final duel to qualify for the Maiami Championship." Futoshi smiled as he danced a little, "Win and make me shiver!" Yuzu had a warm smile as she appreciated the kids coming to support her.

Yuzu turned to Mikleo for a moment, "Mikleo, do you think I'm ready?" Mikleo just stared at her for a few seconds before giving her a thumbs up, "I think you are. Go get him."

Yuya smiled at Yuzu as she turned to him, "Good luck, Yuzu." Yuzu nodded, "Yeah."

A few moments later, Yuzu and Michio were standing across from each other on the stage. Yuya, Mikleo, Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi were all in the stands watching from the sidelines.

Futoshi looked around and noticed some people weren't here, "Where's Big Sis Ruri, Big Sis Rin, and Sora?"

Ayu and Tatsuya looked around as they noticed the same thing before Yuya turned to them, "Sora is off doing his own match for the qualifiers and I think Ruri went with Rin to see her match. I imagine they'll be here when they done."

Nico turned towards the audience with a mike in hand, "Sorry to keep you waiting! It's time for the match between You Show Duel School representative, Yuzu Hiragi, and the Prince of Cooking Duels, Michio Mokota!"

A lot of women in the audience screamed in excitement as one called out to Michio, "Intoxicate me with your recipes!" He simply waved in response which got them even more excited.

At that moment, his mom was filming with a camera that was being sent on live television; however, she then got a frustration expression on her face as she turned the lens towards herself, "Dear, are you watching?"

At the Mokota family restaurant, Michio's father was cutting and preparing the ingredients as his wife was speaking through a monitor, "Michio is having a match, but you can't come to the arena because you're preparing your meals?" He heard it, however, he ignored it and continued with his work, not bothering to watch as the duel was about to start.

Nico then turned towards Principal Kirigakure and held out his hand towards him, "Take it away, Principal Kirigakure!"

The principal stood up with a smile on his face, "Cooking is an endless quest of possibilities. That is the same with dueling. These two have bright futures, and I'll have them battle on a field most fit for a Cooking Duel!"

He then pointed his index finger up in the air, "Solid Vision on! Chaos Kitchen!" The Solid Vision system activated and then the whole arena took the shape of a giant kitchen with giant ingredients. Although the Solid Vision was activated, it wasn't an Action Field. It was mostly just scenery and used for monsters to appear in solid form.

Yuzu looked around the field surprised, "The arena is a kitchen?" Michio replied, making Yuzu turn toward him, "That's right. So that I can serve you up!"

Yuzu got into a ready stance as she looked back at him, "It is an interesting field. However, no matter what it is, I will show you how someone duels from You Show Duel School!"

Yuzu then placed her duel disk on her arm and activated it, readying for the duel. Michio already had his on as his duel disk activated as well.

Yuzu and Michio were ready as the audience and Yuzu's friends shouted, "Duel!"

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUZU LP: 4000  
** **MICHIO LP: 4000**

Both Yuzu and Michio shouted as well as they drew their five cards.

Michio placed his hands together, "Freshness is important in both cooking and dueling. I'll go first." He raised his head to look at Yuzu, "I'll make you taste the greatness of my Cooking Duel!" He showed a card in his hand, "I summon Cookmate Chickwheat ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 400, LV: 2) from my hand!" Michio summoned a bag of wheat that had a chicken inside, which had its head, wings, and feet popping out.

He then held up another card, "I'll also use this before it loses its freshness. I activate the Continuous Magic: Microwave Preparation!" A giant microwave appeared next to him.

"This card allows me to return one monster on the field to my hand, and then Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Cookmate" monster from my hand! I return Chickwheat to my hand!" Chickwheat vanished as it back into Michio's hand as the microwave door opened and then an egg that had eyes and legs with a ring around its body appeared from it, "And then I Special Summon Cookmate Eggong (ATK: 0, **DEF: 300** , LV: 1)!"

Michio showed Chickwheat's card, "At this moment, Chickwheat's effect activates. I can Special Summon this card in Attack Position during the turn I return it to my hand!" He placed the card on his duel disk as Chickwheat was brought back to the field.

 **Cookmate Chickwheat** ( **ATK: 100** )

"When a "Cookmate" monster leaves the field, I can draw a card thanks to Microwave Preparation." Michio drew a card before looking at it, "This is another good one."

Michio continued to smile as he showed one more card, "And when there are two or more "Cookmate" monsters on my field, I can Special Summon Cookmate Potatopard ( **ATK: 0** , DEF: 300, LV: 1) from my hand!" Michio summoned a potato with leopard-patterned skin to his field.

The kids looked surprised after witnessing Michio summoning three monsters as Tatsuya said, "He brought out three monsters in an instant!" Ayu looked at the boys a little troubled, "He may look like a pushover, but he's actually good!" Yuya was a little surprised and curious as to what those monsters could be for. Mikleo just stared at them in response, wondering how Yuzu would respond.

Michio held up two cards, "I set two cards and end my turn!" Two face-downs were set in front of him.

Nico adjusted his glasses with a smile on his face as he turned to Kirigakure, "Michio seems to be in top form!"

Principal Kirigakure nodded his head, "Of course. He knows how to handle the field as much as he handles his cooking." He then crossed his arms, "First, he collects his ingredients…"

Michio's mother interrupted him as she had a proud smile on her face while holding the camera, "That's right. Michio hasn't shown his true skills yet."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - DOWNTOWN**

Ruri and Sora were staring each down as they stood a few feet away from each other. Sora still had a sweet smile on his face while Ruri was frowning a little bit. Neither one of them said anything at the moment.

Ruri narrowed her eyes at Sora as she had a sneaking suspicion as to why he's here, "...So you've found me out." The look on Sora's face told her everything: he's knows she is from the Xyz Dimension.

Sora's grin grew bigger as he looked a little cheekily, "I have to say, I didn't expect you were from _there_ …" He took the lollipop out of his mouth before his grin turned a little sinister with his eyes narrowed a little bit, "...but thanks to Yuzu, I've finally found one."

He brought his duel disk and placed it on his arm, "Now, let's get this over with Ruri." He wants to finish this as soon as possible since this might be the only chance he'll have if he doesn't want any witnesses.

Ruri, although still glaring at Sora, was looking a little hesitate as she really didn't want to fight him. She looked at Sora reluctantly, "We don't have to do this you know."

Sora heard what she said and was confused by this before she continued while closing her eyes, "...We may be on opposite sides, but that doesn't mean I want to fight you. Nobody has to suffer if we don't fight, so won't you please reconsider?"

Although Ruri still harbors some hatred for Academia, from the time she spent with Sora, she will admit it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Though she saw that he is still an Academia agent, she noticed something strange about the way he was acting whenever he is with Yuya, Yuzu, Rin, Gongenzaka, and herself surprisingly; like he was actually enjoying himself. She couldn't help but wonder if maybe she should try and reason with him.

Sora stared at Ruri with a perplexed look on his face, wondering if she was actually serious before actually seeing she was from the look on her face. He narrowed his eyes as he scoffed a bit, "You're actually serious." He then licked his lollipop before smiling a little cheekily, "...It's a shame as to what happened to your home."

Wondering if she heard that right, Ruri narrowed her eyes in response, "What?"

Sora's grin grew larger as he continued, "We had a lot of fun hunting you guys around. Though it had to be done, it made our hunting even more fun." He could see that Ruri is starting to get angry from how he is speaking which made him grin even more.

Ruri started to clench her hands in frustration as Sora was reminding her of what she and the rest of Heartland went through. Ruri looked down a little bit as her face started getting upset over these memories starting with _those_ monsters, " _Fusion Summon! Appear, Antique Gear Chaos Giant!_ " Then, it got worse as she remembered the citizens' cries for help, " _Please help me! I don't want to die! Ahhhhhh! Why are you doing this?! Ahhhhhh!"_ She wanted to cry from seeing those memories but steeled her resolve as she glared at Sora.

Sora kept smiling as he accomplished what he wanted before his gaze turned serious as he glared back at Ruri, "My duty comes first. That's all there is to it." He then activated his duel disk ready to started.

Ruri stared at the ground before reluctantly sighing, " _I'm sorry Yuya, Yuzu. But...I can't do it."_ She wanted to give him a chance but now it looks like it is not possible. She knows they are both fond of Sora but...this is war. This is her reality right now and just talking won't help at all. Ruri raised her head to look back at Sora with look of resolve on her face as she activated her duel disk as well.

Sora smiled in satisfaction, "That's more like it. This will be fun." Ruri just narrowed her eyes in response as they both stood a few feet away from each other.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **RURI LP: 4000  
** **SORA LP: 4000**

Sora put the lollipop in his mouth while smiling, "I'll start first. Draw!" He drew his card before looking at his entire hand as his grin grew a little larger in excitement. He placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization!"

Sora showed two monsters in his hand, "I fuse Furnimal Cat and Edge Imp Scissors in my hand!" Edge Imp Scissors appeared along with a cute, stuffed purple cat as they both went into the colorful vortex. Sora placed his hands together as he chanted, "Sharp blades of demons, fanged feline! Become one in order to show a new nightmarish power! Fusion Summon! Come forth, lone beast that cuts everyone in its sight! Death-Toy Scissor Wolf ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1500, LV: 6)!" A giant stuffed dark-purple wolf had its arms and back burst open, revealing giant scissor parts connecting it's arms together as glowing red eyes appeared in the open mouth of the beast as it howled.

Ruri frowned a little as she saw the Fusion Monster, once again resentment rising deep within her heart from her memories of Heartland. Ruri narrowed her eyes as Sora stared at her with a smile and she had a feeling he was just getting started.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN LOCATION**

In a museum-like stadium, a man that was dressed up as an artist with a green beret along with a brown suit drew his card, "My turn!"

Moments after, Rin pointed at the man, "This is the end! Winter Bell attack him directly!" Winter Bell unleashed a chilling blizzard onto Rin's opponent as he cried in agony, "My vision won't be realized!"

 **RIN: WIN  
** **?: LOSE**

Rin sighed a little as it was finally over, " _Well, that's one down."_ She only needs five more wins in order to qualify to the championship.

She looked up in curiosity, "Wonder how Ruri is doing right now." She decided that will have to wait until her second duel that she needs to get to right now.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - KIRIGAKURE COOKING SCHOOL**

 **YUZU LP: 4000;** _Yuzu's Hand: 5  
_ **MICHIO LP: 4000;** _Michio's Hand: 1_

Yuzu stared at Michio's three monsters, wondering what he is going to do before drawing her card, "It's my turn, draw!" However, before she could do anything, she heard a growl nearby and to turn to see with an embarrassed look on his face as his stomach was growling again.

The audience was laughing from hearing someone's stomach growling as the kids and Mikleo look at Yuya troubled as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Yuzu was looking at the ground while trembling a little bit before raising her head to look at Yuya in irritation, "Yuya!" He looked like he wanted to apologize, "Sorry Yuzu."

But then, Yuzu's stomach growled as well albeit less loud than Yuya's. Her cheeks blushed in embarrassment as the audience heard that and laughed even harder. She now looked even more irritated as she raised a fist, "Now you got me doing it, Yuya!" Yuya backed away a little bit as he didn't know what to say other than chucking a little in response.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes at Yuzu, "I thought you said you ate breakfast before coming here." The kids looked at Yuzu in confusion as well.

Yuzu looked away to the side in embarrassment, "Well...I only ate a little bit. Then, I was in a hurry to get here." She may have eaten breakfast but only a small amount. After that, she realized that she was running a little late so she rushed out of the house before she could finish. She looked at the ground sheepishly as she was in the same position as Yuya was.

However, Michio then spoke which made her turn to him, "Sheesh. You can't help it because you didn't fully eat your breakfast, but don't use that as an excuse when you lose." The look on his face told her he was serious and was full of confidence.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes in response, "And why I am going to lose?"

Michio just smirked in response as he replied, "It's simple, because my recipes are perfect. I used them to create my Cooking Duel, so there's no way you can win."

Yuzu glared at Michio, "Don't assume any outcome of a duel especially when nothing is predetermined!" She then looked at her hand before showing one of her cards, "I Normal Summon Ballet the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 1100, LV: 4, PS: 7)!" Ballet appeared on the field in a twirling fashion.

She then placed a card in her duel disk, "I activate the Equip Magic: Discord Trumpet! I equip it onto Ballet!" A silver trumpet with loud speakers attached the side of the instrument appeared in Ballet's hands and was looking ready to play the instrument.

Yuzu looked at Michio, "Let's battle! Ballet attacks your Cookmate Potatopard!" Ballet flew towards Michio's monster as Yuzu continued, "Ballet's monster effect! When she attacks, all of my "Melodious" monsters gain 400 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase!"

 **Ballet the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 1700** → **2100** )

Ballet twirled around as she flew towards Potatopard and then, when she reached Michio's monster by just a few feet, did spinning back kick on Potatopard, destroying it. The explosion made Michio cross his arms in front of himself while covering his face.

 **MICHIO LP: 4000** → **1900**

Futoshi and Ayu both smiled excitedly as Ayu cheered, "She did it!"

Yuzu held out her hand towards Michio, "Due to Discord Trumpet's effect, if my monster destroys a monster by battle, all monsters on your field with ATK less than or equal to Ballet's are destroyed!" Ballet played her trumpet which cause a loud sonicwave that made Chickwheat and Eggong cry in agony over the noise before the trumpet unleashed a boom of music that destroyed them.

The kids were happy to see Yuzu doing well in the match. Tatsuya held up a fist in excitement, "It's a clean sweep of his monsters!" Futoshi then danced a little, "That gives me the shivers!"

Yuya cheered, "Good job, Yuzu! Keep it up!" Mikleo just stared at Michio, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Principal Kirigakure had an expressed look on his face as he looked at Yuzu, "Oh? She's not half bad as well." He turned to see Nico was a little surprised and looked on in amusement.

Since it is the end of Battle Phase, Ballet's effect ends which mean her ATK return to normal.

 **Ballet the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 2100** → **1700** )

Yuzu smiled as she looked at Michio, "I end my turn! Nothing is set in stone in a duel until it happens!"

However, Yuzu heard Michio laughing and then he spoke, "Actually, I do know what happens next." He moved his arms away, revealing he still has that confident smile on his face, "It's following my recipe perfectly!" He then held out his hand to reveal a trap card, "I activate the Continuous Trap: Food Cemetery! When this card activates, all Cookmates that were sent to the Graveyard this turn are sent to Food Cemetery." From a dark portal, a giant oven that was shaped like a monster appeared as it opened its door where the destroyed Cookmates went inside before closing up again.

 **Food Cemetery** ( **Cards: 3** )

Tatsuya and Ayu were surprised by this as Ayu spoke, "The destroyed monsters were placed inside!"

"For every card that was stored away, I add one "Cookmate" from my Deck to my hand. Also, due to Microwave Preparation, I draw a card." He drew a card before he took three other cards from his Deck and added them to his hand. He then raised his head to look at the oven, "The more monsters that were sent to the Graveyard, the stronger Food Cemetery became."

Yuzu glared at Michio as he continued, "Since you destroyed all of my monsters for me, you saved me the trouble of having to do it myself."

Michio held out his arms as he looked upwards, "I placed an order for more Cookmates!"

Michio's mother looked at her son with a proud smile as she kept filming, "Good job, Michio."

Yuzu narrowed her eyes at Michio, " _He added three monsters to his hand along with another card. What is he planning to do with them?"_

Michio looked at his cards before chucking, "The preparations are complete."

Meanwhile, at the Mokota family restaurant, Michio's father was mixing something in a bowl while Michio was saying the preparations are complete. He heard what his son said and turned to look at the monitor for a second before returning his cooking.

Michio smiled as he drew, "My turn! I draw!" He then looked at Yuzu with that same smile, "Since you're hungry, I'll serve you my special meal."

The young ladies in the audience gasped in excitement and then one spoke, "Michy is serving his special meal!"

Michio placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Wonder Recipe from my hand." A card with a red cookbook in the image appeared, "For every card in my Food Cemetery, I can Special Summon a "Royal Cookmate" in Attack Position!"

A beam came out of Wonder Recipe and hit Food Cemetery and then something was moving inside of it. Yuzu narrowed her eyes, she knew that there were currently three Cookmates inside of the Food Cemetery, which meant that Michio would be able to summon three new monsters at once.

Michio pointed at the oven, "Here's the order! I Special Summon Royal Cookmate Knight Napolitan ( **ATK: 300** , DEF: 1100, LV: 8), Prince Curry ( **ATK: 300** , DEF: 1000, LV: 7), and Princess Pudding ( **ATK: 300** , DEF: 100, LV: 6)!" From the Food Cemetery, the destroyed monsters came out of the door and then transformed into three monsters: one was blue and red knight that had napolitan pasta as it's legs while also having a dinner plate on it's back and was carrying a fork as a weapon, next was a prince that was a bowl full of curry and was wielding a wooden spoon for a weapon, finally the last one was a princess that was pudding in a sundae dish as she held a golden spoon as a weapon and having whipped cream on the top of her head.

Tatsuya looked shocked, "He Special Summon so many high level monsters for every one inside Food Cemetery."

Futoshi had an excited smile on his face as he looked at the monsters, "They look delicious-" However, he stopped himself he saw the looks Ayu and Tatsuya gave him, "Oops, I mean...They look tough."

"Cookmates that are destroyed get placed inside of Food Cemetery. And due to Wonder Recipe, I can Special Summon a Royal Cookmate for every Cookmate that was stored away." Michio said this with a smirk on his face.

Yuzu gritted her teeth a little as she looked at Food Cemetery, "In other words, even if I destroy his monsters, his combo will just allow him to keep bringing out more of them."

Michio smiled, "That's correct. This is my perfect recipe!"

Yuya looked at Michio's monsters in curiosity, "Though they each only have 300 ATK…" He suspects that these monsters must have some kind of effect that could help him.

"That's not all." Yuya turned to see Mikleo with his usual stoic expression, "Yuzu is just getting a _taste_ of what he can really do." Yuya sweatdropped, "Don't you start doing food puns."

Michio held up his hand towards his card, "I activate Wonder Recipe's additional effect before my food gets cold! You take 300 damage for every monster that this card Special Summoned!" Napolitan, Pudding, and Curry all floated in the air and unleashed lightning blasts toward Yuzu.

Tatsuya then got a shocked expression on his face, "He Special Summoned three Royal Cookmates." Futoshi was shocked as well, "300 times 3…" Ayu finished his sentence, "900 damage!"

Michio smirked as he held his toward Yuzu, "Please pay for the meal with your life points!" Yuzu was surprised but couldn't say anything as she just got blasted by the electricity, groaning in pain and making her kneel down a little as a result.

 **YUZU LP: 4000** → **3100**

Yuzu glared at Michio, "You may have brought a lot of food, but they each only have 300 ATK!" Though she has a feeling that their effects might make up for that.

Michio chuckled, however, in response, "That's true. But my perfect recipe strengthens my Royal Cookmates." Yuzu's eyes widened in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Michio raised his hand toward his monster, "Princess Pudding's effect activates. Once per turn, this monster doubles my Royal Cookmate Prince Curry's ATK." Princess Pudding twirled next to Curry and pointed her spoon at him, giving him her flavor and power as he was surrounded in fire.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 300** → **600** )

One of the housewives spoke with a smile, "That's Michy's prix fixe menu!" Ayu nodded her head while she had a happy smile on her face, "Yeah! Since it comes with dessert, it doubles the joy!"

"But when Princess Pudding uses this effect, she can't attack this turn." Princess Pudding move backwards and bowed her head, as if she excused herself.

Michio held out his hand, "Next, I activate Knight Napolitan's effect! This monster also doubles my Royal Cookmate's ATK once per turn!" Prince Curry once again got surrounded by fire and had now turned red from the heat.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 600** → **1200** )

Futoshi got an excited smile on his face, "Oh! It's a curry and neapolitan set! With that much food, you'll feel twice as satisfied as you would normally!"

Michio looked at Yuzu, "But when Knight Napolitan uses this effect, he can't attack this turn either."

Ayu and Futoshi were drooling from the delicious food they were seeing right now before Tatsuya gave them a frustrated look on his face, "You two! How can you be drooling when the opponent is getting stronger!" The other two bowed their heads with troubled expressions on their faces since they knew he was right. Tatsuya had faith in Yuzu, "Big Sis Yuzu is dueling with all her might!"

Yuzu however couldn't really blame Ayu and Futoshi for their reaction. Michio's monsters really did look delicious, and since she only had a little to eat for breakfast, it made her stomach growl again along with Yuya's who thinking the same thing.

Michio saw the sheepish expression on Yuzu's face, "It seems you enjoy my special menu."

Yuzu smiled a little, "Well, it does make me hungry again." She then pointed at Prince Curry, "But no matter delicious it looks, it still only has 1200 ATK. Its less than Ballet's ATK."

Michio smiled at Yuzu, "That's true. For now." Yuzu then got confused from hearing that and had a bad feeling about what he was planning. Michio's smile then turned a little sadistic as he held a card, "But what if I change the flavor?" He then placed the card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Spicy Ingredient! One Cookmate on my field gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase." Curry was engulfed by fire once again before turning more red from the flavor it was given.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 1200** → **2200** )

Michio pointed at Ballet, "Let's battle! Prince Curry attacks Ballet the Melodious Diva! Excellent Express Curry Plate!" Curry charged forward towards Ballet while riding a curry plate and then unleashed his red, spicy curry onto Ballet, burning her in agony and destroying her.

 **YUZU LP: 3100** → **2600**

Yuzu crossed her arms in front of herself and gritted her teeth as she kneeled down a little. Michio chuckled, "Oh my. Was it too spicy?"

Yuzu narrowed her eyes at him, "Discord Trumpet's other effect! When the equipped monster is destroyed by battle, the monster that destroyed it loses 600 ATK until the next turn's End Phase."

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 2200** → **1600** )

He didn't looked worried as he still smirked at her, "I end my turn. The effects of Spicy Ingredient, Princess Pudding and Knight Napolitan now end, so Prince Curry's ATK returns to normal." Prince Curry then landed in front of Michio as he went back to his original color.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 1600** → **0** )

Michio looked at Yuzu while still having his smirk, "Have you had your fill of my Cooking Duel?"

Yuzu got back up and narrowed her eyes at Michio as she drew, "My turn! I draw!"

Yuzu then moved her eyes to look at the card she drew and saw that it was Contralto. She smiled as she knew that she had the pieces in place.

Yuzu looked at Michio who looked a little confused as to why she was smiling, "If you know about Yuya's duel with Strong Ishijima, then I'll give you another surprise." She held up two cards in her hand, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 Partita the Melodious Diva and Scale 9 Contralto the Melodious Songstress!" She placed the cards on her duel disk as the word _PENDULUM_ appeared between them. Contralto appeared in her Pendulum Zone with the number 9 respectively along with a very young, red female humanoid monster that has yellow hair tied in a braid with grey musical notes embedded into her hair along while wearing an orange apron dress and having half of a yellow angel wing on her back; the number 3 appeared in front of her respectively.

Futoshi got excited, "It's here!" Ayu smiled excitedly, "Big Sis Yuzu's Pendulum Summon!" Tatsuya joined in as well, "It's time for her counterattack!" Yuya smiled as well from finally seeing Yuzu perform a Pendulum Summon outside of practice.

Nico was shocked from what he's seeing Yuzu doing, "What?!" He wasn't aware that Yuzu also had Pendulum Monsters. He thought Yuya was the only one who had them right now.

"Musical melody songs that reach people's hearts! Awaken to Pendulum on this grandeur stage! Pendulum Summon!" Yuzu held up three cards in her hand, "Appear, my beautiful singers!" Three monsters appeared from the portal, "Ballet the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1700** ), Chora the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1400** , DEF: 1200, LV: 4, PS: 2), and Violeta the Melodious Maestra ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 1900, LV: 7, PS: 4)!" Ballet and Violeta appeared alongside Yuzu along with a third one who was a young, teenaged and brown female humanoid monster with blonde wavy hair as she bowed on stage; she was wearing a white cheongsam dress with a blue jabot in the front.

However to Yuzu's shock, Michio then got a sadistic smile on his face as he bowed to them, "Welcome my dear customers!" Yuzu looked at him confused while Michio stood up straight and smiled normally at Yuzu, "So this is the famous Pendulum Summon I've heard about. In that case, allow me to show you my hospitality."

Yuzu looked back at Michio, "Your hospitality?" Michio seemed so calm even though she summoned enough monster with ATK able to finish this. She started getting a bad feeling, " _Is there still I don't know about Michio's monsters?"_

Michio nodded his head, "That's right. The best hospitality. When you Normal Summon or Special Summon a monster, Princess Pudding, Knight Napolitan and Prince Curry's additional effects activate! Full House of Full Stomachs!" The three Royal Cookmates flew towards Yuzu's monsters and then Princess Pudding began feeding Ballet pudding, while Prince Curry fed Chora curry and Knight Neapolitan fed Violeta pasta. Yuzu's monster looked happy while eating the food.

Yuzu looked back and forth between her monsters in confusion, "What the...?" She started getting a little jealous as she was still a little hungry.

However, she noticed that something didn't seem right as Michio's monster kept feeding Yuzu's, causing them to increase in size and weight while their eyes were swirling, "Hey...what is this?"

Michio laughed a little, "More! Eat more! Eat all of my cooking monsters!"

Tatsuya had a shocked expression on his face, "What's with that?" Ayu looked a little scared, "They're force feeding them. It's horrible!" Futoshi then looked a little disturbed, "Gross!"

Mikleo narrowed his eyes as he watched, "It's started." Yuya, who was shocked as well, turned to Mikleo in confusion, "What?" Mikleo looked at Yuya before moving his eyes back to Yuzu, "Yuzu has fallen into his trap. This is what can happen if the opponent plans far ahead of the duel." Yuya narrowed his eyes at what Mikleo said before turning back to Yuzu in concern, "Yuzu."

Yuzu looked at her monsters in both shock and confusion as they all now looked like balloons that can pop at any moment.

Michio's smile turned sadistic once again, "They ate so much that they can't take another bite." He then opened his eyes slightly for the first time revealing purple pupils, "By returning Princess Pudding, Knight Napolitan and Prince Curry to my hand, one of your monsters is destroyed for each card returned!" All of Michio's monsters then left the field and returned to his hand as he added the three cards back to his hand.

Yuzu then watched on in shock as Ballet, Chora, and Violeta got destroyed before her very eyes just after she summoned, "No way...all of my monsters are gone."

She then gritted her teeth as she glared at Michio who still sported that smile on his face. She realized everything went according to his plan and will have to be careful as she then gave him a cautious look.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (ANOTHER) UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Meanwhile, in a laboratory with bleachers at the sides, Rin pointed at a man who was wearing engineer goggles over his eyes and a white lab coat, "Winter Bell attacks directly!" Winter Bell charged forward into Rin's opponent and headbutted him as he had a look of regret on his face, "I miscalculated. I concede defeat!"

 **RIN: WIN  
** **?: LOSE**

Rin smiled in satisfaction as she raised a fist, "Alright!" This makes two wins now and only four left to go.

She then walked to her runner and put on her helmet. Since she was done with her duels, she figured she should get Ruri so they could both watch the rest of Yuzu's duel in time. She started her runner, "Well, I'd better go get Ruri now." She then drove her runner out of the arena and into the streets.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - DOWNTOWN**

 **RURI LP: 4000;** _Ruri's hand: 5  
_ **SORA LP: 4000;** _Sora's hand: 3_

Back to Ruri and Sora's duel, Sora had the first turn as he had Death-Toy Scissor Wolf on his field while Ruri had nothing on her field.

Sora smiled at Ruri who had her narrowed eyes directed towards him as she was being cautious. Sora looked at her, "When Furnimal Cat is sent to the Graveyard as Fusion Material, I can add _Polymerization_ back to my hand." Since Furnimal Cat was used to Fusion Summon Wolf, Sora took Polymerization from his Graveyard and added it back to his hand.

Sora placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." Sora looked at Ruri with a serious smile on his duel as he was ready to go, "Now then, Ruri, will you keep me entertained like Yuya?"

Ruri narrowed her eyes at him before placing her fingers on her deck, "It's my turn, draw!" She looked at her hand for a moment and then back at Sora, " _Stay calm, Ruri. I just have to beat him. That's it. Nobody has to get hurt after that."_ She's thinking that she needs to finish as quick and painless as possible.

Ruri showed a card in her hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Lyrical Luscinia - Migrating Feathers." The magic card appeared on Ruri's field as she looked at Sora, "When I have no monsters on my field, I send one "Lyrical Luscinia" each with the same Level from my hand and Deck." She showed a card in her hand while taking another from her deck, "I send Kainite Finch from my hand and another one from my Deck to the Graveyard."

As a result, she sent the two Kainite Finches to the Graveyard as she grabbed one more card in her hand, "And then, I Special Summon a "Lyrical Luscinia" from my hand. I summon Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0, **DEF: 100** , LV: 1)!" Cobalt Sparrow appeared as she flew downward and landed next to Ruri.

"Cobalt Sparrow's Level becomes the same as the two monsters I sent to the Graveyard. Since Kainite Finch is Level 2, Cobalt Sparrow's Level becomes 2." Two silhouettes of a female bright yellow, finch bird monster appeared temporarily as they floated around Cobalt.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Cobalt Sparrow** ( **LV: 1** → **2** )

"When Cobalt Sparrow is Special Summoned, I can add 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from my Deck to my hand." Ruri took a monster from her deck and added it to her hand.

She then showed the same card she added, "When I have a "Lyrical Luscinia" on my field, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Onyx Raven ( **ATK: 1000** , DEF: 700, LV: 4) from my hand!" Ruri brought out a female black raven monster to her field as she floated next to Cobalt Sparrow.

Ruri then took the two Kainite Finches from her Graveyard and showed them, "Next, since I control a "Lyrical Luscinia", I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Kainite Finch ( **ATK: 500** , DEF: 300, LV: 2) from my Graveyard!" Ruri summoned 2 copies of the same monster that appeared briefly a few seconds ago next to Cobalt.

Ruri pointed at Raven, "I activate Onyx Raven's monster effect! Twice per turn, I can change the Level of any "Lyrical Luscinia" I control from 1 to 7. I change Onyx Raven's Level to 2!" Raven let out a high pitched bird cry as she glowed while her Level changed.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Onyx Raven** ( **LV: 4** → **2** )

Sora smiled excitedly as he saw there were four Level 2 monsters on Ruri's field, " _Here it comes."_

Ruri held out her arm, "I overlay my Level 2 Cobalt Sparrow, Kainite Finches, and Onyx Raven!" All four of Ruri's monsters turned into purple energy that went into a dark portal.

"Birds with pretty feathers! Take flight with your elegance as your flock rains upon your foes! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 2! Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale ( **ATK: 500** , DEF: 500, RNK: 2, OVU: 4)!" In a burst of wind, Horde Nightingale appeared on the field as she floated next to Ruri.

Sora narrowed his eyes as he noticed the low ATK on Ruri's Xyz Monster. Sora looked a little irritated as he chewed on his lollipop hard, once again feeling like he was being underestimated and this time by an "Xyz remnant" no less, "...Are you mocking me? You brought out a monster such low ATK. What can you do with that?"

Ruri looked at Sora before closing her eyes, "An Xyz Monster's true abilities are in its Overlay Units. Such as birds gather together to create a mighty flock, these Overlay Units will help make my monster stronger." She then looked serious as she pointed at Horde, "Let me show you. Horde Nightingale's monster effect! She gains 300 ATK for each Overlay Unit she has!" Horde has four Overlay Units so she gains 1200 ATK.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale** ( **ATK: 500** → **1700** )

"Also, when Kainite Finch is used as Xyz Material, Horde also gains 200 ATK!" There were two Kainite Finches used as their silhouettes appeared briefly once again to give Horde more power.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale** ( **ATK: 1700** → **2100** )

Sora could only watch in surprise as Ruri managed to make her monster stronger than his.

Sora, however, didn't have time to think as Ruri pointed at him, "Battle! Horde Nightingale attacks Death-Toy Scissor Wolf!" Horde flew straight towards Scissor Wolf, ready to strike it down.

Sora narrowed his eyes as he pressed a button on his duel disk, "Trap Card, open! Death-Toy Backup! This prevents Scissor Wolf from being destroyed and it also gains 800 ATK!" Horde scratched Scissor Wolf with her talons, pushing the stuffed toy back a few feet but it wasn't destroyed.

 **SORA LP: 4000** → **3900**

Scissor Wolf howled as it just gained power from being attacked as Sora smiled a little at Ruri.

 **Death-Toy Scissor Wolf** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2800** )

Ruri wasn't fazed as she still looked determined, "Horde Nightingale's second effect! By using an Overlay Unit, all of your monsters lose 1000 ATK and DEF until the end of the turn!" One of Horde's Overlay Units disappeared as she unleashed a tornado that caught Scissor Wolf as it flailed around from being weakened by the wind.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale** ( **ATK: 2100** → **1800** ; **OVU: 4** → **3** )  
 **Death-Toy Scissor Wolf** ( **ATK: 2800** → **1800** ; DEF: 1500→500)

Ruri held out her hand towards Sora, "Horde Nightingale can attack as many times as the number of Overlay Units she has! Horde Nightingale attacks Death-Toy Scissor Wolf once again!" Horde once again flew straight towards Wolf.

Sora looked a little confused, " _Is she going for mutual destruction?"_ Both of their monsters have the same amount of ATK so they would both be destroyed.

Wolf responded by lunging it's claw towards Horde and scratching her. Horde was pushed back before retaliating with scratching Wolf with her talons. Both monsters in groaned in pain as they continued inflicting pain on each other.

Ruri was a little uneasy seeing her monster in pain like this but steeled her resolve as it had to be done, "Horde Nightingale's final effect! By using an Overlay Unit, my "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters can't be destroyed this turn and I take no damage!" Another one of Horde's Overlay Units was used as Horde retaliating again with her talons as she cried out in determination, destroying Wolf once and for all while also weakening herself.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale** ( **ATK: 1800** → **1500** ; **OVU: 3** → **2** )

"I'm not done!" Ruri placed a card in her duel disk, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Lyrical Luscinia - Altru Guide! By using this card, Horde Nightingale can attack once more in a row! Horde Nightingale attacks you directly!" Horde did a backflip before flying straight towards Sora and scratching him with her talons, pushing him back a few feet as he grunted in pain while having his arms protecting his body.

 **SORA LP: 3900** → **2400**

Ruri placed a card in her duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

Sora moved his arms away, showing an excited smile, "Interesting." He then stepped up so he was a little closer as he held his lollipop in his right hand, "Looks like I might have to get more serious."

Sora placed his fingers on his duel disk, "My turn, draw!" He saw that he drew a monster and smiled before placing that card on his duel disk, "I summon Furnimal Dog ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4) from my hand!" Sora summoned a brown and white, stuffed puppy dog that had a purple collar around its neck and wings on its back as well. The monster yipped and wagged its tail as it was summoned.

Ruri was resisting the urge admit how cute that dog was before shaking her head in refusal, " _Now's not the time, Ruri! This is Academia. I can't afford to act like this no matter how cute it is."_

Sora didn't seem to notice Ruri holding it in as he looked at her, "Since I summoned Furnimal Dog from my hand, I can add an "Edge Imp Scissors" or "Furnimal" monster from my Deck to my hand." Sora's deck shuffled before he added a card to his hand and showed it, "I add Furnimal Sheep to my hand. And because I control Furnimal Dog, I can Special Summon Furnimal Sheep ( **ATK: 400** , DEF: 800, LV: 2) from my hand!" An orange, stuffed toy sheep with red ears appeared on Sora's field as it let out a _baa_ in happiness.

Sora's grin turned a little cocky as he picked up Furnimal Dog from his duel disk, "I activate Furnimal Sheep's monster effect. By returning Furnimal Dog to my hand, I can summon an "Edge Imp" monster from my hand or Graveyard." Furnimal Dog left the field before Edge Imp Scissors ( **ATK: 1200** , DEF: 800, LV: 3) was summoned in its place.

Sora then smiled a little wickedly as he showed _Polymerization_ in his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization once again!" He took a card from his hand and showed it, "I fuse Furnimal Sheep and Edge Imp Chain from my hand!" Both Furnimal Sheep and a fiendish monster that resembled a chain machine, with red eyes glowing in the holes of the chains, went into the colorful vortex.

"Fluffy creature of wool, nightmare of chains! Combine together in a deadly combo and show us a new form and power! Fusion Summon! Reveal yourself, Level 5! Chained beast that binds everything! Death-Toy Chain Sheep ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 2000, LV: 5)!" Furnimal Sheep then broke apart and combined together into a mechanical sheep that had chains coming out of most of its body, two round discs with chains connecting above its body, and had a hook and a saw for its front feet.

"When Edge Imp Chain is sent from my hand to the Graveyard, I can add a "Death-Toy" card from my Deck to my hand. I choose _Death-Toy Factory_." Sora took a card from his deck and added it to his hand.

Sora pointed at Ruri, "Battle! Death-Toy Chain Sheep attack Horde Nightingale! When this card attacks, my opponent can't activate cards or effects during the Damage Step!" Sora gave a mocking smile towards Ruri, "Now you won't be able to do any tricks like last time." Ruri gritted her teeth a little as she can't do anything.

Chain Sheep unleashed a red blast from its mouth and destroyed Nightingale while it was caught off guard. Ruri put her arms in front to shield herself from the blast as her hair was flopping back and forth.

 **RURI LP: 4000** → **3500**

Sora turned his head toward his other monster, "Now, Edge Imp Scissors! Attack Ruri directly!" Scissors snapped its blades before charging straight forward towards Ruri with the sharp ends pointed at her. Ruri was a little taken aback before jumping away a few feet, resulting in a backflip and then landing on her feet, from the monster as it missed her by an inch. The blades got stuck in the ground when it missed momentarily before rising back up and heading back to Sora's side.

 **RURI LP: 3500** → **2300**

Ruri winced in pain a little as she turned to notice a small cut on her right arm that was bleeding a little. The monster must have gotten a small cut on her even though it mostly missed. She held her arm in pain as she glared at Sora, who was still smiling at her.

Sora looked at Ruri, "I set a card and end my turn." He smiled in excitement as he had his eyes narrowed at her, "I hope we can have more fun with this, Ruri."

Ruri didn't answer as she drew her card, "It's my turn, draw!" She looked at her current hand before looking at Sora in both curiosity and seriousness, "Answer me this, Sora. Why exactly did you all attack our home? What did we ever do to you?" She heard the reason they're doing this from her brother and Yuto but she wanted to make sure.

Sora just nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders as he held out his left hand, "It's nothing personal, but it had to be done. For the sake of uniting our homes, it was a necessity." He then clenched his teeth on his lollipop in minor frustration, "I wasn't even in that battle. I had to stay on the sidelines. But I heard we successfully did our mission." Even though he prefers to do things on his own, it frustrated him a little bit that he wasn't allowed to participate in the fight against the Xyz Dimension.

Ruri narrowed her eyes in suspicion, " _So he wasn't even a part of that."_ She had suspected that since she have never seen or heard of him before she was forced out of her home thanks to her bracelet. Also, it was the same reasoning she had heard from her brother and Yuto.

She then was a little upset from hearing this, "How exactly is carding my people a "necessity" for "uniting our homes"? All you're doing is causing us pain and suffering." She was trying to be calm about this but the pain and suffering she was feeling was getting her again and she needed to let out her feelings that showed how ridiculous that reasoning sounded to her.

Sora narrowed his eyes in confusion, "There are winners and losers. You lose and you pay the price. That is what dueling is for: a fight. In order for our "utopia" to be realized, you guys just had to be carded." He was a little confused by Ruri's tirade. Isn't that what dueling is for? Putting everything on the line, win or lose?

Ruri looked back at Sora with her right fist raised, "But uniting our home like this is wrong, there are better ways to do that!" To say that her people needed to be carded in order to unite their dimensions is wrong, there are more efficient ways to do it so nobody has to suffer.

Sora's widened in surprise before he glared at her as he raised a fist, "It is not wrong! Don't you start spewing out that crap that Yuya was talking about!" From the way she was talking, it sounded like she was almost about to say the same stuff that Yuya was talking about when it comes to dueling. To him, it sounded ridiculous. Academia's teachings taught him that dueling is a fight, it is either win or get beaten. To have fun in a fight sounded too soft from what he was taught. Academia's teachings are absolute and it is the right way. He was getting a little frustration from this conversation so he pointed at Ruri, "Enough talk! Just start your turn already and get it over with!"

Ruri clenched her teeth in frustration as talking didn't work once again. She had to try but it seems it was no use. She had to get back to her turn unfortnately. She then pressed a button on her duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Xyz Reborn! This card allows me to summon back an Xyz Monster from my Graveyard! I revive Horde Nightingale ( **ATK: 500** )!" From a dark portal in the ground, Horde Nightingale returned to Ruri's side.

"And then, this card becomes an Overlay Unit for my Xyz Monster." _Xyz Reborn_ then turned into an orb of light that went to and surrounded Horde Nightingale, becoming a new Overlay Unit for her.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale** ( **ATK: 500** → **800** ; **OVU: 0** → **1** )

Ruri pointed at her monster, "Now, I activate Horde's monster effect once more! I detach an Overlay Unit and your monsters lose 1000 ATK and DEF during this turn!" As the Overlay Unit vanished, Horde flapped her wings and unleashed a whirlwind that weakened Sora's monsters as they were pushed back a few inches.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Horde Nightingale** ( **ATK: 800** → **500** ; **OVU: 1** → **0** )  
 **Death-Toy Chain Sheep** ( **ATK: 2000** → **1000** ; DEF: 2000→1000)  
 **Edge Imp Scissors** ( **ATK: 1200** → **200** ; DEF: 800→0)

Sora gritted his teeth in minor frustration at seeing his monsters weakened before wondering what Ruri was up to since she can't attack much with Horde except with _Edge Imp Scissors_.

Ruri showed a card in her hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Treasure Cards of Xyz. Since I control a Rank 4 or lower Xyz Monster, I can draw cards equal to her Rank." Horde is Rank 2 which means Ruri was allowed to draw two cards as she added them to her hand.

She then placed another card in her duel disk, "Next, I activate the Magic Card: Brood Hatching. By returning Horde Nightingale to my Extra Deck…" As soon as she said that, Horde disappeared from Ruri's field as she grabbed two cards from her Graveyard, "...and then I can Special Summon "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters from my Graveyard equal or up to Horde's Rank!" Since Horde was Rank 2, she was allowed to summon two monsters as she placed them on her duel disk. Cobalt Sparrow ( **ATK: 0** ) and Onyx Raven ( **ATK: 1000** ) returned to field once again in Horde's place.

"Due to Cobalt Sparrow's effect, I add one "Lyrical Luscinia" monster to my hand." Ruri took a card from her Deck and added it to her hand before showing what she added, "And due to her effect, I can Special Summon another Lyrical Luscinia - Onyx Raven ( **ATK: 1000** )!" Another Onyx Raven was summoned to the field next to the first one.

She then took out one more monster in her hand, "I Normal Summon Lyrical Luscinia - Topaz Owl ( **ATK: 0** , DEF: 100, LV: 1)!" Topaz Owl was brought out onto the field as Ruri wasn't done, "When she is Normal Summoned while I have another "Lyrical Luscinia" on my field, I can Special Summon one "Lyrical Luscinia" from my Deck." A card was added to her hand before placing it on her duel disk, "I summon Lyrical Luscinia - Sunstone Thrush ( **ATK: 200** , DEF: 100, LV: 1)!" Sunstone Thrush was summoned as the fifth monster as she let out a bird cry.

Ruri pointed at her Onyx Ravens, "Onyx Raven's monster effect! I can change both of their Levels to match my other Lyrical Luscinia monsters! Level 1!" Both of her Onyx Raven glowed white as they cried out in readiness.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Onyx Raven** ( **#1** ) **(LV: 4→1)  
** **Lyrical Luscinia - Onyx Raven** ( **#2** ) **(LV: 4→1)**

Sora narrowed his eyes at Ruri, " _5 Level 1 monsters…"_ He knew what was coming next and he was ready for it.

Ruri held out her right hand, "I overlay all five of my Level 1 monsters!" All five of Ruri's monsters turned into dark energy that gathered into a dark portal.

"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale ( **ATK: 0** , DEF: 0, RNK: 1, OVU: 5)!" Her ace monster finally appeared in front of Ruri, looking elegant as she usually is.

Sora looked at the monster in both confusion and intriguement, " _Again with the low ATK Xyz Monsters…"_ Though he won't admit it, he is slightly impressed with how she is doing. From using five monsters to Xyz Summon, she's already better than that Hokuto guy he saw from LDS. He then wondered what kind of tricks she has with this one.

His thoughts were then interrupted as Ruri looked at him, "Assembly Nightingale gains 200 ATK for Overlay Unit she has. She has 5 Overlay Units which means she gains 1000 ATK!"

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale** ( **ATK: 0** → **1000** )

"Also, when Sunstone Thrush is used as Xyz Material for a WIND Xyz Monster, she gains 500 ATK!" A silhouette of Sunstone appeared momentarily behind Assembly before a fiery aura surrounded Nightingale, powering her up once more.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Assembly Nightingale** ( **ATK: 1000** → **1500** )

Ruri then looked at the ground in resolve, " _Here we go. This is it."_ She had a looked of determination on her face as she pointed at Sora, "Battle! Assembly Nightingale attack…!"

However, Sora interrupted as he had a smile on his face, "Too bad, but I'll be having none of that." Ruri stopped in surprise before she was confused and wondered what he meant.

Sora's smile turned more cheeky as he pressed a button, "I activate the Continuous Trap: Fusion Trench!" A rainbow colored, transparent wall of light appeared in front of Sora's monsters as Assembly was about to move, stopping her in her tracks in surprise.

Ruri's eyes widened in confusion, "What?" What kind of Trap was this? She then heard Sora speaking, "With this card on my field, all non-Fusion Monsters are unable to attack." He then licked his lollipop as he narrowed his eyes at her, "That means no attacks or tricks from you once again."

Ruri narrowed her eyes in confusion, "You would use cards like this? You would go so far as to restrict your opponent's moves?" She didn't think Academia would go this far in order to win by having a lot of cards that give them a distinct advantage.

Sora frowned at Ruri in both confusion and frustration, "I said that dueling is a fight. You either win or get beaten. So you got to do what's necessary in order to win. As long as you win, it won't matter what cards were used." Academia taught him to win using any means necessary. This is war. Everything is at stake including their utopia.

Ruri looked at the ground as she clenched her fists in frustration as she didn't know what to think. After a few seconds, she raised her head and arm to look at the final card in her hand: a Rank-Up-Magic. She looked at the card for a few more seconds before placing it in her duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

She closed her eyes momentarily, "At this moment, Horde Nightingale's effect ends so your monsters' ATK and DEF return to normal."

 **Death-Toy Chain Sheep** ( **ATK: 1000** → **2000** ; DEF: 1000→2000)  
 **Edge Imp Scissors** ( **ATK: 200** → **1200** ; DEF: 0→800)

Sora smiled at Ruri, "My turn, draw!" He drew his card and looked at the rest of his hand and field. He grinned a little menacingly, " _Good. I've got everything I need."_ With the cards he has now, he is sure he can finish this.

Sora showed a card he had earlier, "I summon Furnimal Dog ( **ATK: 1700** ) once again!" Furnimal Dog appeared again as he barked in happiness, "With Furnimal Dog's effect, I add Furnimal Owl to my hand." He then added another monster to his hand from his deck.

He placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Death-Toy Factory! I banish _Polymerization_ from my Graveyard in order to Fusion Summon using monsters in my hand and field!" As Polymerization was banished from his Graveyard, he held out his hand towards his three monsters, "I fuse Chain Sheep, Furnimal Dog and Edge Imp Scissors!" All three monsters went into the colorful vortex as Sora was chanting.

"Furry canine, claws of the demon! Become one with the ram of chains, and show us a new form and power! Fusion Summon! Show yourself! Wild ghost-cave beast that bares fangs at all! Death-Toy Sabre Tiger ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 2000, LV: 8)!" From the vortex, a giant purple, stuffed tiger appeared that had its head and mouth tear open, revealing knives and daggers sticking out from its mouth and the top of its head. Part of its stomach opened up as well while having a knife sticking out as its tail. From the mouth of the beast, glowing red eyes were shown as it roared.

Ruri looked at the monster in intriguement, " _That monster…"_ This was another new one she hasn't seen and this time it was three monsters he used.

Sora smiled at her, "Death-Toy Sabre Tiger's monster effect! When this card is Fusion Summoned, I can bring back a "Death-Toy" monster from my Graveyard while ignoring the summoning conditions. I revive Death-Toy Chain Sheep ( **ATK: 2000** )!" A dark portal opened from the ground and Chain Sheep reappeared back on the field, making Sora now have two Fusion Monsters on his field.

Sora's smile then turned a little menacingly, "With Sabre Tiger, all my "Death-Toy" monsters gain 400 ATK for every "Furnimal" and "Death-Toy" on my field." There are two _Death-Toy_ monsters on Sora's field which means they each gain 800 ATK as they powered up.

 **Death-Toy Sabre Tiger** ( **ATK: 2400** → **3200** )  
 **Death-Toy Chain Sheep** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2800** )

Ruri's eyes narrowed a little as she saw how Sora's monsters got stronger while giving Sora a cautious expression on her face. Sora smiled excitedly in response as he raised his hand as about to declare another move. He didn't notice, however, that Ruri was moving her arm slowly to do the same as she reached to press a button on her duel disk.

However, Sora heard something as he was about to make his move. He heard an engine running as it got closer and closer at high speed. He was surprised as turned around to see what it was while Ruri looked on in confusion with what Sora was doing before hearing the same thing as well.

Sora didn't know what that sound was but from the sound of it, it seemed like it was heading in their direction. With quick thinking, he clenched his teeth in irritation before reluctantly taking off his duel disk as fast as he could and putting it away. His monsters then disappeared as a result of his duel disk turning off, making Ruri's monsters disappear as well. Ruri didn't know initially what was happening but she eventually got the message as she quickly turned off and put away her duel disk as fast as possible.

As they were both done putting their disks away, out of nowhere, Rin's runner comes driving by in their direction at high speed. Rin saw Ruri and Sora in the distance and quickly stopped her runner. It then came to a complete stop as it stopped just a few feet from both Sora and Ruri, who were both surprised to see her.

Ruri's eyes blinked in surprise, "Rin…" Honestly, she was surprised Rin found her so quickly and she's secretly glad she showed up as things could have gotten worse for both her and Sora.

Rin took off her helmet and greeted them with a smile as she walked over to them, "There you are, Ruri! And Sora is here as well. I've been looking for you a few minutes ago." It took her awhile but she finally managed to find Ruri in this big place.

Sora's eyes blinked in confusion, "I...I see." While he was surprised to see Rin, he was more curious as to what that motorcycle she was driving is all about. This must be that "duel runner" he heard Rin mention about a couple times before.

Rin had a curious expression on her face, "So, did you find what you looking for Ruri?"

Ruri shook her head as she regained her composure, "...No, I didn't."

Rin, however, turned her head and saw the cut on Ruri's arm as she looked at Ruri in concern, "Ruri! What happened to your arm?"

Ruri raised her arm to get a closer look. She then had a nervous smile on her face, "Oh...I fell down and accidentally cut myself." She wasn't about to tell Rin that she got this from her duel with Sora.

Rin sighed in exasperation before rushing to her duel runner and opened a pouch bag on the side of her runner. She brought out some bandages as she then ran back to Ruri. As she wrapped the bandages around Ruri's arm, she then looked like she was about to scold Ruri for her _recklessness_ , "Geez, you are lucky I always keep first aid on my runner or else we would have to hurry back to Yuzu's. Try and be more careful."

Ruri sweatdropped a little from seeing Rin's expression, "Sorry. I'll try and be more careful." She will admit it was nice to see Rin care so much for her friends.

Sora looked at the both of them with narrowed eyes before turning his head to the side in slight irritation, " _So close…"_ If Rin hadn't shown up, he would have been able to finish her.

After around a minute, Rin finished wrapping the bandages around Ruri's arm which led to having a satisfied smile on her face, "There. All better now?" Ruri nodded with a small smile, "Yeah. Thank you, Rin."

Rin then gestured Ruri toward her duel runner, "Well, come on. We need to get to where Yuzu's duel is so we don't miss the rest."

However, before Ruri could respond, Sora yelled in distress as he held his head, "Ah, crap!" Ruri and Rin looked confused as to why Sora was yelling before he turned to them with a nervous smile, "...I forgot about my match."

Rin was a little surprised, "You what?" Ruri turned to the side as she nervously smiled as well, knowing why Sora forgot about the match he was scheduled to face.

Rin was then upset with Sora as she stepped forward to him, "How could you forget your match?" Sora sweatdropped before turning his head a little, not wanting to look at Rin, "Well...I had other things on my mind."

However, that only seem to further anger her as a tick mark appeared on her head. While not saying anything, she raised her fist in anger and punched Sora in the shoulder. Sora yelled in surprise as he held his arm, "Ow!"

Rin sighed in exasperation before grabbing Sora and pushed him towards his runner, "Come on, I'll take you there. As long as we hurry, we can hopefully see the rest of Yuzu's match." Sora was surprised as he was being pushed, "Alright, alright!"

Ruri could only look on in sadness as Rin doesn't really know what just happened here. She could only wonder how long this can go on. She tried talking to him but it seemed like it was no use and, in the end, they are still enemies. Eventually, her and Sora might have to duel again and there might not be any interruptions this time. She sighed a little as she proceeded to follow Rin and Sora to Rin's runner.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - KIRIGAKURE COOKING SCHOOL**

 **YUZU LP: 2600;** _Yuzu's Hand: 1  
_ **MICHIO LP: 1900;** _Michio's Hand: 5_

Yuzu glared at Michio as her monsters were just destroyed right in front of her, leaving her with no monsters except the ones in her Pendulum Zones. Yuzu was almost at a lost for words, "Damn it…"

Michio was still smiling as he looked down at his deck, "Because my Royal Cookmates left the field, I can draw a card thanks to Microwave Preparation." He then drew a card and added it to his hand.

She looked at her current cards on the field and the only card in her hand before reluctantly saying, "I end my turn."

Tatsuya had a look of surprise on his face, "Big Sis Yuzu's Pendulum Monsters…" Ayu finished while looking concerned with her hands clenched together, "They were all destroyed." Futoshi tilted his head in confusion, "But Michio also lost all of his cooking monsters, so it's a tie."

Michio chuckled when he heard what Futoshi said, "We'll see about that." He placed his fingers on his deck as he drew, "Well then, it's my turn. I draw!"

Michio looked at the floating oven above the field, "There are three cards inside of the Food Cemetery. All of the prep-work is ready!" He then held out his hand, "I activate the effect of my Continuous Magic: Wonder Recipe! This card allows me to Special Summon as many "Royal Cookmates" from my hand as I have cards inside of the Food Cemetery!" After he said that, he held up three cards in his hand.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes, "And since you returned your Royal Cookmates to your hand, you can bring them back." This is definitely going to be more tricky than she originally thought.

Michio held out his right arm, "Your order is ready!" As the oven opened, his three monsters appeared again, "Now reappear, Knight Napolitan ( **ATK: 300** ), Prince Curry ( **ATK: 300** ), and Princess Pudding ( **ATK: 300**!"

Yuzu still had her eyes narrowed as she looked at the Royal Cookmates, knowing how difficult it will be to get rid of them considering they can destroy hers as soon as she summon them. Her stomach started to growl a little as saw how delicious they looked before quickly shaking it off. Yuya's stomach can be heard growling as well as he sheepishly smiled a little bit.

Michio smirked at Yuzu, "I'll let that starving belly of yours have its fill. Thanks to Wonder Recipe, you take 300 damage for each monster Special Summoned!" Three bolts of energy came from the three monsters and were unleashed onto Yuzu, who grunted in pain while guarding her arms.

 **YUZU LP: 2600** → **1700**

Michio gestured his hand towards her, "How was it? Well, I think it might have been too much for your stomach to handle."

Michio's mom nodded with a happy smile on her face, "You're doing great, Michio!"

Michio chuckled a little, "But the taste of my perfect recipe is amazing, isn't it?"

Meanwhile, at the Mokota family restaurant, Michio's father looked at the image of his son as he heard what he said and scoffed, "A perfect recipe, huh…" He then turned his eyes back to his cooking, thinking his son still doesn't understand the meaning of it.

"At this moment, Knight Napolitan's effect activates! Once per turn, it can double another Royal Cookmate's ATK!" Napolitan once again went over to Curry and powered him up as he was surrounded in fire.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 300** → **600** )

Michio then gestured towards his other monster, "And after that, I activate the same effect with Princess Pudding!" Princess Pudding also went over to Prince Curry and powered him up before he was once again turning red from the fire.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 600** → **1200** )

The young ladies in the audience cheered once again when they saw this as one of them said, "It's another one of Michy's set menus!"

Michio looked at Yuzu as she regained her composure, "However, monsters who use this effect cannot this turn. Your remaining life is only 1700. Prince Curry only needs a little more seasoning to finish you off."

Michio chuckled as he held out his hand, "Luckily, chefs always have extra ingredients in case of emergency. I activate the effect of Spicy Ingredient in my Graveyard! By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can add _Tonkatsu Topping_ to my hand." As his Magic Card was banished, he took a card from his Deck and showed it, "Looks like the Goddess of Cooking is smiling on me. I activate the Magic Card: Tonkatsu Topping! For the rest of the turn, my Royal Cookmate gains 600 ATK!" Deep fried pork cutlets appeared on Prince Curry's rice bowl shield.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 1200** → **1800** )

Ayu was surprised by this, "Isn't that…?" Tatsuya, with the same expression on his face, finished her sentence, "It's tonkatsu!"

Michio looked at Yuzu as he pointed at her, "It's time I put an end to this! Battle! I make a direct attack with Prince Curry!" Prince Curry charged straight towards Yuzu.

The kids looked worried as they watched Prince Curry attacking with Tatsuya speaking, "If this attack goes through, Big Sis Yuzu will…!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he was worried about what might happen. Mikleo, however, spoke calmly, "Relax. She'll be fine." The kids and Yuya turned to him curiously as he closed his eyes, "Just watch." They then turned to see Yuzu, not worried in the slightest.

Yuzu held out her arm towards her monster, "I activate the Pendulum Effect of Partita the Melodious Diva! Once per turn, if I'm attacked directly, I can negate that attack!" Partita started singing which slowed Curry down a little and eventually stopped his charge altogether, preventing him from attacking.

Michio chuckled a little, "Not bad. You managed to stop my direct attack." He then smiled as he showed another card in his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Meal Ticket Abuse. With this card, I add two "Royal Cookmates" from my Deck to my hand! The cards I'm adding to my hand are _Royal Cookmate King Hamburg_ and _Queen Omelette_!" Michio took two cards from his Deck and showed them before adding them to his hand.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes, "He got two more Royal Cookmates…" She then realized something, " _That means if he gets two more monsters in Food Cemetery, he can bring out five at once."_

Michio smiled at Yuzu, "However, the monsters added to my hand by this effect cannot be summoned this turn." He then placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn with that. At this point, Tonkatsu Topping, Princess Pudding, and Knight Napolitan's effects wear off and Prince Curry's ATK returns to normal."

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 1800** → **300** )

Yuzu sighed a little in relief as she managed to survive this turn before her stomach growled a little again. She started to get frustrated, " _I can't concentrate as well with my stomach like this."_ She tried really hard to think about what to do next while ignoring her stomach.

Nico looked on in curiosity, " _I never thought Yuzu would possess these Pendulum Cards. Now, I'm curious as to how she will respond. If she's anything like Yuya, she might surprise me."_ Honestly, even though he was doing a favor for Yuya, he was now intrigued by Yuzu and how she duels. He was honestly getting excited from watching her duel just like he watched with Yuya.

However, as Yuzu tried to concentrate, she heard someone speaking, "My goodness, Yuzu. I guess you weren't the only one who missed out on breakfast." Everyone turned to see Yoko in the audience with a smile on her face as she was carrying two green lunch bags in her hands.

Yuya was a little surprised to see her, "Mom!" She turned her head before tossing one of the lunch bags to Yuya, who caught it and looked at it in curiosity. Yoko then turned to Yuzu, "Here, Yuzu! I made one for you just in case!" She threw the other bag at Yuzu and she caught it before looking at it in confusion. Yuya looked at his mom, "Mom, why are you...?"

Yoko just smiled at the both of them, "Now you both hurry up and eat them! Yuzu! You need this to help you turn it around!" From her and Yusho's times raising Yuya and Mikleo, she knew these two couldn't think clearly without a proper appetite.

Yuya saw no reason to argue as he was starving so he opened up the bag and saw pancakes. He smiled so happily, "Alright! Mom's pancakes!" Yuzu looked at Yuya curiously before deciding to open up her bag and saw that she had the same thing. Yuzu smiled as she turned her head to Yoko, "Thanks, Auntie Yoko!" Yoko nodded in response.

Yuya and Yuzu then both took a big bite out of their pancakes as they were happy they finally got to eat. The kids looked on in curiosity while Mikleo's expression changed to a small smile.

Yuzu was enjoying it a lot as it was delicious. Yuya, however, noticed that something seemed different so he took a quick look at them and saw what looked like pork cutlets between them, "Wait, is this…?" From hearing Yuya, Yuzu looked at her food as well and noticed the same thing.

Yoko's smile grew bigger as she saw how Yuya and Yuzu were curious before they looked at her with wondering expressions, "It's a sandwich using the Mille-Feuille Tonkatsu you didn't eat earlier, Yuya!"

Yuzu smiled in gratitude, "It's delicious!" She then ate more of the sandwich. Yuya nodded in agreement as he kept eating.

Yoko nodded her head, "I made that Mille-Feuille Tonkatsu using Michy's recipe so it's perfect, isn't it? And to add that, I put it in between some pancakes!"

Michio turned to Yoko with a surprised look on his face from hearing what this woman had said before he now looked irritated, "You added something to my perfect recipe?"

Yuya looked at the pancakes, "Perfect, huh?" Yuzu seemed to pondering something as she looked at her pancakes, "Adding something…" Both of them then grew smiles on their faces as they were thinking the same thing: nothing is perfect, not even cooking as it could always change and get better and tastier.

Soon after, Yuya and Yuzu finished their pancakes as Yuya sighed in happiness while Yuzu waved at Yoko, "Thank you so much, Auntie Yoko!" She turned back towards Michio, "Now, I can concentrate again."

Yuzu smiled as she placed her fingers on her deck, "It's my turn, draw!" She looked at her current hand before she assessed the situation. If she brings out her monsters again, Michio can just counter with his monsters' effects. Not to mention that he also has two more Royal Cookmates in his hand so she might have to deal with five of them at once eventually. However, something started to click as she looked back and forth between her hand and Extra Deck before her eyes widened in realization, " _That's it! I know what I need to do!"_

Yuzu looked at Michio, "With the set Scale 2 Partita and Scale 9 Contralto as my Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters with Levels between 3 and 8!" The pillars of light behind Yuzu started to glow as she was getting ready to Pendulum Summon.

Tatsuya looked concerned for her, "Don't do it! If you summon them now, they'll just get destroyed again!"

Yuya looked curious, " _I'm sure she's up to something."_ He's not entirely sure what Yuzu is up to but he knows she'll find a way out of this.

The portal started to open as Yuzu was chanting, "Musical melody songs that reach people's hearts! Awaken to Pendulum on this grandeur stage! Pendulum Summon!" Yuzu took one card from her Extra Deck before she held up two cards in her hand, "Appear, my beautiful singers!" Two monsters appeared from the portal, "Appear, Chora the Melodious Diva ( **DEF: 900** ) and Baila the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1300** , DEF: 1700, LV: 4)!" From the Extra Deck, Chora appear back on the field along with Baila as they both danced around into a pose.

Michio blinked in confusion as he saw one of the monsters he destroyed earlier but paid no mind to it, thinking Yuzu just used a effect to bring it back. He then smiled as he held his arm toward Yuzu, "And here comes a few more customers that have leapt into the fire themselves!" He pointed at his monsters, "I activate the Royal Cookmates' effects! Full House of Full Stomachs!"

Knight Napolitan and Princess Pudding flew towards Yuzu's monsters. Napolitan started feeding Chora pasta while Princess fed Baila pudding. Michio smirked as he held out his right hand, "When a monster is Normal or Special Summoned to my opponent's side of the field: I can return any number of Royal Cookmates to my hand and destroy one monster for each!" Yuzu frowned a little while the kids looked worried, Yoko looked a little concerned, and Yuya and Mikleo both had a look of curiosity on their faces as they watched this happening.

Michio grabbed the monster cards and put them back to his hand, "By returning Knight Napolitan and Princess Pudding to my hand, I destroy Chora and Baila!" As Michio's monster left the field, Chora and Baila were blown up as a result.

"Additionally, due to Microwave Preparation, I draw a card." Michio drew a card before he smiled at Yuzu, "How do you like my hospitality?"

Tatsuya looked a little upset from seeing Yuzu's monster destroyed like this again, "You just destroyed them! You call that hospitality?" Ayu pouted, "That's right!" Futoshi looked a little angry, "It's awful!"

However, a thought came to Tatsuya's mind as he looked at Yuzu in confusion, "Big Sis Yuzu, you knew they would get destroyed. So why did you Pendulum Summon?" Ayu and Futoshi turned to Yuzu in confusion, thinking of the same thing. Mikleo then had a knowing smile as he had his eyes closed as Yuya smiled a little he had a theory as to what Yuzu was doing.

Yuzu smiled in response, "So I can do this. Baila the Melodious Diva's monster effect! When this card is Special Summoned, I can add 1 "Melodious" card from my deck to my hand. I add Elegy the Melodious Diva!" From Baila's effect, Yuzu took a monster from her deck and showed it before adding it to her hand.

She then pointed at her Partita, "Chora the Melodious Diva's effect! When she is destroyed by an opponent's card effect, I can destroy a card in my Pendulum Zone!" Partita was destroyed as Yuzu showed Chora's card, "And then I place this card in my Pendulum Zone!" Yuzu placed Chora in her Pendulum Zone and, as a result, Chora reappeared in the column of light in Partita's place with the number _2_ appearing in front of her. Yuzu placed Partita in her Extra Deck and Baila in her Graveyard as a result of being destroyed.

Michio chuckled a little as he saw what Yuzu just did, "I was wondering why you did that." He then pressed a button on his duel disk, showing a trap, "In that case, I activate the Trap Card: Extra Flavor! When my opponent's monsters are destroyed by the effects of my Cookmates, I can place Cookmates in the Food Cemetery equal to the number of monsters that were destroyed!"

He took two cards from his deck and sent them to the Food Cemetery, "With that, I add Cookmate Lionion and Cookmate Rabbitomato into the Food Cemetery!" A purple and white lion that had onion skin as a lion's mane as well as a tomato in the shape of a rabbit both appeared momentarily before turning into purple and red energy that went into the Food Cemetery.

Michio smiled at Yuzu, "What do you think of my fabulous prep-work?"

Yuzu narrowed her eyes at him, " _So he now has five monsters in the Food Cemetery."_ She looked at her current hand that had Elegy, " _I just hope this will work."_ Yuzu raised her head to look back at Michio, "I end my turn."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Somewhere at a sumo wrestling school, a sumo wrestler placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn!"

After a few minutes, Sora held up his fist, "This'll finish you! Death-Toy Scissor Bear attack him directly!" Scissor Bear lunged its arm forward and hit the sumo wrestler back. The sumo wrestler cried out as he was launched, "I have failed!"

 **SORA: WIN  
?: LOSE**

Rin clapped her hands in gratitude as she smiled, "Good job, Sora!" Ruri, however, seem bothered by something as she was staring off into space.

Ruri's thought were interrupted by Rin who looked at her confused, "Ruri, are you okay?"

Ruri was a little taken aback before she gave a reassuring smile, "Yeah. I'm just tired."

"Hey, are we going to see Yuzu's match or not?" They both turned to see Sora looked rather impatient as he nearby Rin's runner. He was seemingly ready to get going.

Rin nodded in response, "R-Right. Let's get going." Ruri nodded as well, "Yeah."

As Rin started her runner, Ruri and Sora were riding on the back of it as Ruri held onto Rin while Sora held onto Ruri. Rin was smiling as she started her runner and eventually drove it off into the direction of where Yuzu's match was. Ruri and Sora were frowning a little bit as they were a bit close to each other than they would like and they had to keep up this facade.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - KIRIGAKURE COOKING SCHOOL**

Michio placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn! Draw!" He then turned towards Yoko with a smirk, "Excuse me ma'am, but I heard you made some modifications to my recipe."

Yoko got a confused expression on her face as she blinked her eyes, "Y...Yes."

Michio's smirk grew a little bigger, "Well, allow me to show you that my perfect recipe has no need for any other additions."

Michio's mother stood up and glared at Yoko, "That's right! My Michio is flawless! He's _perfect_!"

Michio then turned back towards Yuzu, "Now then, there are currently five monsters inside of the Food Cemetery and so with Wonder Recipe's effect, I can summon four more Royal Cookmates!" He held out his hand as Wonder Recipe was shown on the field again.

The oven opened up once more and revealed four monsters, "Your order is ready! One King Hamburg ( **ATK: 300** , DEF: 1300, LV: 10), Queen Omelette ( **ATK: 300** , DEF: 1200, LV: 9), Knight Napolitan ( **ATK: 300** ), and one Princess Pudding ( **ATK: 300** )!" Napolitan and Pudding appeared next to Curry once again along with two new monsters: one was a hamburger steak wearing a crown and had a fork and knife floating beside itself and the other was an omelette wearing a crown along with a pink royal cape.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes, "As I thought, he summoned four more monsters at once to his field."

Futoshi's mouth was watering as he saw all of the delicious monsters Michio brought out, "Curry, Hamburg Steak, Omelette, Pudding, and Pasta…! I wouldn't be able to finish all of that!" Tatsuya and Ayu sweatdropped from seeing Futoshi's expression.

However, Yuya and the others then heard someone, "Oh! Looks like we made it in time!" They all turned to see that Sora, Ruri, and Rin have arrived. They were walking down the bleachers as Sora was the one who spoke. Sora had a curious smile on his face as saw the duel while Ruri and Rin looked around the arena before they also looked at the duel in curiosity.

Rin sighed in exasperation, "I'm just glad we made it before it ended." After all the time they used, she was a little afraid they wouldn't make it in time to see Yuzu win.

Ruri walked forward before she looked at Yuya curiously, "How's the duel going?" Yuya looked at Ruri, "Well...Yuzu is kinda in a tight spot…" Sora, Ruri, and Rin tilted their heads in confusion before looking as to what's on the field: Yuzu's opponent apparently has five monsters on his field while Yuzu has none.

Sora was a little surprised, "Huh? That guy has five monsters! Don't tell me she's going to lose?!" After he just accepted Yuzu's request to teach her Fusion Summoning, he will admit he will be mad if a "student" of his loses this early.

Mikleo spoke calmly with his arms crossed, "Calm down. It's not over." The others looked on in both confusion and curiosity as to how Mikleo can be so calm about this. Ruri frowned as she turned her head to the duel, "I hope you're right."

Sora raised an eyebrow in curiosity before turning back to the duel. However, he noticed something about Yuzu's field was off as he then saw pillars of light nearby her. He moved his eyes upwards and saw that there were monsters inside those pillars with the numbers _2_ and _9_ in front of them respectfully.

After staring at them for a few seconds, Sora's eyes widened in realization as he recognized that appearance. Sora looked shocked as he took a step back, "Huh?! Are those...Pendulum Monsters?!" Ruri and Rin looked at Sora before turning their heads and noticing the same thing he was seeing.

Yuya sweatdropped before he sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "Uh...Yeah. I forgot you didn't know about this." To be fair, Sora was absent for a bit when this happened and there was a lot going on so he guessed no one got to tell him about this.

Sora walked over to Yuya and shook his shoulders, "When? How did this happen? Where did she get Pendulum Monsters? I thought only you and Reiji had them, Yuya!" From his understanding, nobody can simply get Pendulum Cards through a store or something so what exactly happened?

Yuya nervously smiled a little, "Well...I don't really know what happened either. All of a sudden she just has some now." He's still not sure exactly caused Yuzu to obtain Pendulum Cards. He suspects that he may have done something but he doesn't know what he did.

Sora stared at Yuya for a few seconds before he looked at the ground in minor sadness, "Oh, man. I'm so jealous."

Rin came over and patted him on the head in reassurance, "Don't worry, Sora. I'm sure you'll get Pendulum Cards too eventually."

Mikleo spoke again, "Hate to interrupt, but I think we should watch the rest of the duel before continuing this conversation." Everyone else looked at Mikleo for a couple seconds before silently agreeing as they nodded their heads and turned back to watch the rest of the duel.

Michio looked at Yuzu, "First, I'll offer you more hospitality from Wonder Recipe's effect by inflicting 300 damage for each monster Special Summoned by this effect!" The monsters that were summoned unleashed small blasts of light that hit Yuzu.

 **YUZU LP: 1700** → **500**

Principal Kirigakure looked at Yuzu, "Yuzu Hiragi has done well, but with all five Royal Cookmates out, this is the end…" Nico looked a little concerned as he didn't want this to be the end for Yuya's friend.

Michio pointed at his monsters, "Knight Napolitan's effect activates! Once per turn, this monster can double the original ATK of another Royal Cookmate!" Napolitan went over to Prince Curry and powered him up once again as he was set on fire.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 300** → **600** )

"After that, Princess Pudding uses the same effect!" Pudding also did the same thing as Napolitan as Curry was set on fire and turning red.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 600** → **1200** )

"Now, with Queen Omelette's effect, double it again!" Omelette also did the same as Curry was surrounded by flames for a third time.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 1200** → **2400** )

"On top of that, double it once more with King Hamburg's effect!" King Hamburg did the final power up which resulted in Prince Curry turning golden from all of the power and flavor he received.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 2400** → **4800** )

Michio looked at Yuzu with a smile, "And just in case you were planning on using anything…" He took a card from his hand and place it in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Unnecessary Mistakes! When I have three or more Royal Cookmates on my field, my opponent can't activate card effects on the field for the rest of the turn!" Yuzu narrowed her eyes as she knew what he was doing: trying to stop her from activating Pendulum Effects like last time.

Tatsuya looked even more concerned, "Now Big Sis Yuzu can't protect herself with Pendulum Effects!" Ayu and Futoshi let out a cry of worry.

Michio pointed at Yuzu, "Battle! I make a direct attack with Prince Curry! Golden Royal Cook Family Curry Plate!" Prince Curry spun around before unleashing a golden stream of curry straight towards Yuzu.

The kids were both shocked and somewhat amazed by this attack as Tatsuya spoke, "Golden…" Ayu and Futoshi finished his sentence, "...Curry!?"

From the time she had left, Yuzu quickly guarded herself by placing her arms in front of herself as the blast connected, creating a huge explosion and smoke enveloped around the area. No one could see her from the smoke.

The kids were concerned and worried for Yuzu, Ruri looked worried, Rin was surprised, Sora had a eyebrow raised in curiosity, Yuya looked a little cautious as he doesn't know what happened, Yoko was concerned for Yuzu as well while Mikleo just had the same, calm look on his face although he was secretly a little concerned for Yuzu.

Michio smiled in satisfaction as he saw the smoke, "My, my, it took a bit of work, but she was no match for my perfect recipe." However, he was then confused he noticed something was off. The audience was suddenly gasping in shock as the smoke was clearing. Soon, the smoke clear off to where it revealed Yuzu still standing with a smile on her face. Her LP were also still intact as they didn't change.

 **YUZU LP: 500**

The kids were happy to see Yuzu still standing with Ayu crying out, "Big Sis Yuzu!"

Ruri and Rin both sighed in relief while Sora smiled in satisfaction. Yuya smiled at the sight of Yuzu hanging in there while Mikleo had a small smile on his face. Yoko smiled in relief as well from seeing Yuzu hanging on.

Michio was shocked and was then soon upset at his perfect recipe not working, "Why?! This can't be! Why do you still have life left?!"

Yuzu raised her head to look at Michio with a smile, "I used the effect of one of my monsters."

Michio retorted, "But you shouldn't be able to use effects on your field!"

Yuzu raised her arm as she gestured towards her Extra Deck, "You're right. But I used an effect in my Extra Deck." Michio was taken aback and wondered how can that be.

Yuzu looked at Extra Deck, "Partita the Melodious Diva's monster effect. When my opponent's monster attacks while this card is in my Extra Deck…" She showed Partita before putting it in her pocket, "...I can banish this card to negate the attack and end the battle."

Yuzu turned her head to smile at Yoko in gratitude, "It's thanks to Auntie Yoko that I was able to come up with that move."

Michio gritted his teeth in irritation before reluctantly placing a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn now!" Since it was the end of the turn, the effects of the Royal Cookmates end as Prince Curry returned to his normal color.

 **Royal Cookmate Prince Curry** ( **ATK: 4800** → **300** )

Michio looked at Yuzu, "You may have held out, but what can you possibly do? With you facing my five Royal Cookmates, you can't win!"

Yuzu smiled a little in response, "We'll see about that. Just like Auntie Yoko added something to your recipe, I might add something extra to this duel right now. There is nothing wrong with changing a plan or recipe up a bit. So I'm going to show you how it can be a good thing!"

Michio glared back at Yuzu, " _What nonsense is she talking about? My perfect recipe is all I need in order to win at both cooking and dueling!"_

Yuzu looked at the two monsters in her hand, " _Alright, I've done everything I could. I just hope I draw the right card."_

Yuzu placed her fingers on her duel disk, "I draw!" She drew her card and her eyes shifted to see what she drew. She flipped the card it revealed: _Hymn of Blessing_.

Yuzu smiled in happiness, "Alright! I got it!" Michio was confused as to why Yuzu looked so happy in this situation.

Yuzu looked at Michio, "With the set Pendulum Scale, I can summon monsters with Levels between 3 and 8! Musical melody songs that reach people's hearts! Awaken to Pendulum on this grandeur stage! Pendulum Summon! " The portal opened up as her Pendulum Monsters glowed.

Michio got a smirk on his face, "Your Pendulum Summoning might be a bit tricky to some opponents but with only three cards in your hand, it is no threat to me."

Yuzu held up her duel disk, "Well then, you will be surprised by this. I'm bringing out the Pendulum Monsters that are inside my Extra Deck!"

Michio's eyes widened in surprise, "Th-the Extra Deck!?" So he wasn't imagining things when he saw that one monster earlier?

Yuzu took out two cards from her Extra Deck while holding the other two cards in her hand. Four monsters appeared from the portal, "Appear, from the Extra Deck, Violeta ( **ATK: 2500** ) and Ballet ( **ATK: 1700** )! And, from my hand, Laureate François the Melodious Maestra ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1700, LV: 7) and Elegy the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1200, LV: 5)!" Violeta and Ballet reappeared beside each other while Laureate appeared alongside them. The fourth member that has shown up was a purple-eyed, green-colored female singer that had hair with a darker shade along with half of a purple mask on her face while also having purple wings on her back. She was wearing a dark-blue outfit with orange lines on her design and had a purple cloth around her waist with orange stripes.

Futoshi did a happy dance from seeing Yuzu Pendulum Summon, "Shivers!" Ayu looked excited, "Four at once!" Tatsuya started understand a little bit of what Yuzu was up to, "That's right! Destroyed Pendulum Monsters are sent to the Extra Deck!"

Sora looked excited from seeing that, "So awesome, Yuzu! You can Pendulum Summon just like Yuya!" Ruri and Rin smiled at the sight as well.

Michio got an angry expression on his face, "What change are you talking about?! Even if you summon four at once, the result will still be the same!"

Yuzu just smiled in response as she pointed at Contralto, "I activate Contralto the Melodious Songstress' Pendulum Effect! When I Pendulum Summon 2 or more "Melodious" monsters, I can bring back a Level 6 or lower "Melodious" from my Graveyard! Come back, Baila ( **ATK: 1300** )!" Contralto started singing and then Baila was brought back to Yuzu's field, giving her five monsters in total.

Yuya smiled, "Now she has five monsters on her field!"

Michio scoffed as he held out his hand, "Fine! I'll destroy her as well! I activate all five of the Royal Cookmates' effects!"

All of Michio's monsters flew towards Yuzu's monsters and started feeding them food one after the other until they looked like balloons. Michio returned his monsters to his hand, "For each Royal Cookmate I return to my hand, I destroy one of your monsters!" After his monsters left the field, an explosion surrounded Yuzu's field as they were being destroyed by the effects of Michio's Cookmates.

Michio smirked at Yuzu, "With this, all of your monsters are destroyed!"

Yuzu, however, smirked in response, "...Are you sure about that?" Michio was then confused, "What?" He turned his head toward the smoke as it cleared up and Yuzu's monsters were all revealed to be unharmed and back to their regular forms.

Michio had a shocked and horrified expression on his face, "Why?! Why weren't your monsters destroyed?!" He wondered how this could happen. His perfect recipe never fails.

Yuzu looked back at him, "Elegy's monster effect. As long as she's on the field, my "Melodious" monsters that were Special Summoned cannot be destroyed by card effects."

Michio took a step back in worry, "That can't be…" Was he really going to lose?

Nico stood up as he got excited, "Amazing! She brought out Elegy in anticipation so that her monsters wouldn't get destroyed! She managed to keep all five of her monsters in this combo of hope!"

Principal Kirigakure was surprised by this, "To think Michio's perfect recipe would be foiled by this girl…" He will admit he is really impressed with this Yuzu Hiragi. She might actually win this.

Michio's mom looked at her son in concern, "Michio…"

As Michio was struggling a little to comprehend this, Yuzu wasn't done, "Now, I activate Baila's effect! I add a "Melodious" card from my Deck to my hand." She took a card from her Deck and added it to her hand.

However, as Yuzu was about to say something else, Michio raised his head as he had a look of defiance, "No! This isn't over! My perfect recipe can't fail!" He then pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Sticky Restriction! I send cards from my Food Cemetery to the Graveyard equal to the amount of monsters you have on your field!" The oven opened up and all of the Cookmates from before were sent to the Graveyard and they each turned into sticky dough that surrounded Yuzu's monsters as they struggled to get out.

Yuzu was a little surprised, "What?" The kids were surprised by this as they didn't know Michio had another tactic up his sleeve. The others were taken aback and were confused as to what that card does.

Michio smiled as he saw Yuzu's confusion, "With this card, the monsters currently on my opponent's field cannot attack! Also, during my next Standby Phase, this card inflicts 300 damage to my opponent for every card sent by this effect!"

Futoshi looked a little confused as he counted, "There were 5 cards sent to the Graveyard so that means…" Tatsuya's eyes widened in realization, "1500 damage!" Ayu then looked concerned, "Big Sis Yuzu only has 500 left!"

Yuya gritted his teeth as Yuzu was stopped once again. However, Mikleo put a hand on his shoulder spoke, "Don't worry, Yuya." He turned to his brother who looked like he was waiting for something, "I believe she has a plan to get out of this."

Michio smirked at Yuzu, "How's that? Now you really can't do anything! You will fail to my perfect recipe!" He was really losing his cool from dueling this girl. He didn't think he had to resort to this trap but, in order to prove them wrong, his plan will succeed.

However, to Michio's surprise, Yuzu's expression then turned into a smile, "Well, maybe I'll just have to try something new then." Michio narrowed his eyes, "What?"

Yuzu held out her hand towards her monsters, "Now, before I was interrupted, I activate Chora the Melodious Diva's Pendulum Effect!" Chora started singing as musical notes gathered all around the field. Michio looked back and forth in confusion, " _What is this?"_

Yuzu continued, "Once per turn, when I Pendulum Summon a "Melodious" monster…" She lifted her arm and showed her Deck, "I can add either a Ritual Magic or a LIGHT Ritual Monster to my hand!" Yuzu took Saffira from her Deck and showed it.

Michio was shocked, "What? Ritual?!" He didn't know that Yuzu used Ritual Monsters.

The kids started getting excited as they heard what Yuzu said. Tatsuya started, "So that means…" Ayu and Futoshi finished excitedly, "Big Sis Yuzu's Ritual Summoning!"

Yuzu showed another card in her hand as well, "I activate the Ritual Magic: Hymn of Blessing! I tribute Baila and Ballet on my field in order to Ritual Summon!" Baila and Ballet floated next to Yuzu as she getting ready to Ritual Summon.

The corridor to the holy church appeared as both Baila and Ballet turned into balls of light that went straight towards the door. They went inside as the light got brighter. The doors then opened as Yuzu chanted, "Princess of the dragons that was gifted with light! Arise from your slumber, give blessings to everyone, and shine your magnificent wings around the world! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 6! Dragon Princess Deity - Saffira ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2400, LV: 6)!" From the church doors, the dragon princess appeared next to Yuzu as her wings shine brightly, amazing everyone in the audience.

Ayu had stars in her eyes from seeing the beauty of that monster, "That monster...is so pretty!"

Sora looked intrigued to see Yuzu Ritual Summoning, "So this is Yuzu's Ritual Summon…" He will admit he is slightly impressed by it but probably not as much as he will be when she finally Fusion Summons.

Michio looked at Saffira as he was shaking in horror, "An ATK of 2500?!" Since Yuzu brought out Saffira after his trap had activated, it had no effect on that monster. Michio was almost at a loss for words, "I-I'm going to lose!? My perfect recipe is going to…!"

Yuzu interrupted him with a smile, "Michio, no recipe is perfect."

Michio opened his eyes in shocked when he heard what Yuzu said. He narrowed his eyes as he suddenly remembered something his father said to him, " _There isn't perfection in cooking! No, actually, if there is, it's always being ready to add more to suit the people who will eat your food!"_

Michio said, "Always adding more…" He was starting to understand what his father meant by that.

Yuzu smiled as she pointed at Michio, "Battle! I attack you directly with Saffira! Maitri Spirit!"

Saffira floated straight towards Michio until she was right in front of him. Her wings started shining brightly as it enveloped the entire field. Michio's eyes widened as he knew he couldn't stop this attack but he suddenly smiled as he being blinded by the light, " _It's my loss. But...I learned something important."_ Saffira's wings shined the brightest as he was pushed back and landed on his back.

 **MICHIO LP: 1900** → **0**

 **YUZU: WIN  
** **MICHIO: LOSE**

Yuzu smiled in satisfaction as the Solid Vision disappeared and the field returned to normal. She bowed in gratitude, "Thank you for the meal!" She then heard three voices call out to her, "Big Sis Yuzu!" She turned to the sound and saw the three kids running towards her with the rest of her friends following behind.

Futoshi danced a little in front of her, "You gave me the shivers!" Tatsuya smiled in excitement, "We finally got to see you Ritual Summon!" Ayu smiled sweetly, "You are now qualified for the Maiami Championship!"

"That was awesome, Yuzu!" Yuzu turned to see Sora with an excited smile, "I didn't expect to see a Pendulum Summon nor a Ritual Summon! It was pretty exciting!"

Ruri then walked over as she smiled in gratitude, "Congratulations, Yuzu. You did great."

Rin nodded in response, "Same here. You did Pendulum Summoning really well. Looks like I might have to catch up as well."

Sora turned to Rin in confusion, "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Rin looked at Sora, "It means I have Pendulum Monsters too. I need to master that as well."

Sora's eyes blinked in confusion before he took a step back in shock, "Huh?! What do you mean?!"

As Yuzu watched Ruri, Rin, and the kids explain to Sora what happened, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to Yuya with a smile on his face, "Congrats, Yuzu." Mikleo then arrived next to Yuya, showing a small smile in approval.

Yuzu smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Yuya."

Michio had soon gotten up into a sitting position as he watched Yuzu's friends greet her in congratulations. He smiled a little as he could tell they were really happy for her.

He then noticed a pair of feet stopping next to him. He turned his head to see his mother with both a shocked and disbelieving expression on her face, "Michio! This can't be! Your perfect recipe couldn't have been defeated!"

Michio stood up and looked at his mom with a smile, "Mama...this time I did lose. But I learned a lot from it." His mother looked back at him shocked at how her son is handling his defeat, "M-Michio…"

Meanwhile, Sora was a little depressed than before he looked at the ground. He found that not only Yuzu had Pendulum Monsters but also Gon-chan, Ruri, Rin and Mikleo somehow. Rin smiled reassuringly as she patted Sora on the head, "Don't worry, Sora. I'm sure you'll somehow get some as well soon enough." The others sweatdropped from how Sora was taking this information.

"Yuzu!" The others turned to see Michio walking over to them. Michio smiled at Yuzu, "You won this time. But, after this, I'll add more to my recipe in order to move on and improve."

Yuzu smiled in satisfaction, "Then I'll be moving forward too." She was happy she finally got the message across to Michio.

Michio nodded, "I hope that the two of us will meet each other again in the Maiami Championship." Michio turned his head to Yuya, "Yuya, I also hope I get to face you too in the Maiami Championship."

Yuya nodded, "Sure. I'd be glad to."

Michio nodded before he reached out his hand to Yuzu, who gladly accepted the handshake with a smile. However, Yuzu and Yuya's stomachs growled a little bit and Michio looked at the both of them surprised.

Yoko walked over to them as she smiled at Yuya and Yuzu, "Looks like the pancake sandwiches weren't enough."

Michio smiled at the both of them, "Then how about this? As a thank you for this fun duel, I can make you all something." Yoko looked at him shocked when she heard that before he continued, "Will you accept my hospitality?"

Yuzu nodded as she smiled, "Thank you!" Yuya smiled in agreement as he wanted some too.

However, the three of them then jumped in shock when they heard a happy scream. They turned towards Yoko who did a little dance on the spot and jumped a little, "Hurray! Michy said he will treat us to his hand-made cooking! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! I'm so happy, I'm super happy right now."

Michio chuckled a little troubled as he looked at Yoko while the others laughed a little while Yuya slapped himself in the face embarrassed, "Mom, come on! Don't embarrass me in front of people like that." Mikleo had his head turned to the side, not wanting to look at the scene and showing he was a little embarrassed as well. The others now laughed at the troubled Yuya who glared at them a little, which caused them to laugh even harder.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (NEARBY) LDS**

Yuto, while wearing his bottom mask, was leaning on the wall as the LDS Building was nearby a few blocks.

He was assessing the situation: apparently he got Yuzu and this Yuya in trouble because of himself. He feels bad about it but doesn't know what to do in this situation.

His thoughts turned to what Yuzu said to him: Ruri was looking for him. That told him that she may not be kidnapped like him and Shun had suspected. If that was indeed the case, there might be more hope than ever in finding her. He needs to find Shun in order to tell him about this.

However, he wondered if he should find Yuzu or this Yuya for more information first though. Even though Ruri might be safe, there's still so much they don't know about this dimension so it might be risky to be out in the open just looking for her.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard something, "Yuto." He raised his head in caution as to who that was. He stood up as he saw someone.

The person walked over to him before revealing herself from the shadows. The person was a girl around his age with pink hair at the top and blue-violet at the bottom tied in pigtails behind her head. She had emerald-green eyes that had a soft but serious expression as she looked at him. She was also wearing green earrings, a light-blue tanktop, black arm sleeves, a red sash tied around her waist, light-blue skirt along with black leggings, and had brown shoes.

Yuto was taken aback by this person before he recognized her, "...Lucine."

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Microwave Preparation** (Continuous Magic) - You can return a monster you control to your hand and then you can Special Summon a Level 4 or below "Cookmate" monster from your hand. When a "Cookmate" you control leaves the field: You can draw 1 card. You can activate each effect of "Microwave Preparation" once per turn.

 **Discord Trumpet** (Equip Magic) - Equip only to a "Melodious" monster you control. Once per turn, when the equipped monster destroys a monster by battle: destroy all of your opponent's monsters that have equal or less ATK than the equipped monster's ATK. If the equipped monster is destroyed by battle, the monster that destroyed it loses 600 ATK until the next turn's End Phase.

 **Spicy Ingredient** (Magic Card) - Target 1 "Cookmate" monster you control: it gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase. If you control a "Royal Cookmate" on your field, you can banish this card from your GY: Add 1 Magic Card that includes "Cookmate" written on it from your Deck to your hand.

 **Partita the Melodious Diva  
** (LV: 1, Fairy, LIGHT, ATK: 600, DEF: 200, PS: 2)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack: You can negate the attack; then, if you do, you can Special Summon 1 Level 1 "Melodious" monster from your GY in Defense Position. You can only use this effect of "Partita the Melodious Diva" once per turn.  
 _Monster Effect:_ If an opponent's monster declares an attack while this card is face-up in your Extra Deck: You can banish this card; negate the attack and end the battle phase.

 **Chora the Melodious Diva  
** (LV: 4, Fairy, LIGHT, ATK: 1400, DEF: 1200, PS: 2)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, if you Pendulum Summon a "Melodious" Monster to your field: You can add 1 Ritual Magic or 1 LIGHT Ritual Monster from your Deck to your hand.  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is used as Material for the summon of a LIGHT Fusion, Synchro, Xyz Monster or if this card is used as a Tribute for the Ritual Summon of a LIGHT Ritual Monster: that monster gains 600 ATK. If this card in the Monster Zone is destroyed by an opponent's card effect: You can target 1 "Melodious" monster in your Pendulum Zone; destroy that target and then place this card in your Pendulum Zone.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Migrating Feathers** (Magic Card) - If you control no monsters: Send 2 "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters with the same Level (1 from your hand and 1 from your Deck) to the Graveyard; then, if you do, Special Summon 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" monster from your hand. That monster's Level becomes the same as the ones sent to the GY by this effect.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Kainite Finch  
** (LV: 2, Winged-Beast, WIND, ATK: 500, DEF: 300)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card in the Graveyard: You can Special Summon this card; but banish it when it leaves the field. You must control a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster to resolve this effect. A monster that used this card as Xyz Material gains 200 ATK.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Onyx Raven  
** (LV: 4, Winged-Beast, WIND, ATK: 1000, DEF: 700)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If you control a "Lyrical Luscinia" monster: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. Twice per turn, you can target 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" monster you control: Declare a Level from 1 to 7; that monster becomes that Level until the End Phase.

 **Lyrical Luscinia - Altru Guide** (Quick-Play Magic) - Activate only if a "Lyrical Luscinia" you control destroys an opponent's monster by battle: That monster can attack once again in a row. If you control a "Lyrical Luscinia" Xyz Monster, you can banish this card from your GY: Target 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" monster in your GY and attach it to an Xyz Monster you control as Xyz Material.

 **Brood Hatching** (Magic Card) - Return 1 "Lyrical Luscinia" Xyz Monster you control to the Extra Deck: Special Summon as many "Lyrical Luscinia" monsters from your Graveyard as possible equal or up to the Rank of the monster returned by this effect.

 **Tokatsu Topping** (Magic Card) - Target 1 "Cookmate" monster you control: until the end of this turn, it gains 600 ATK and cannot be destroyed by card effects.

 **Extra Flavor** (Trap Card) - Activate only if an opponent's monsters(s) was destroyed by the effect of a "Cookmate" monster you own. Place "Cookmate" monsters from your hand or Deck into a "Food Cemetery" you control equal to the number of monsters that were destroyed when this card was activated.

 **Sticky Restriction** (Trap Card) - Activate only if you control no monsters. Send cards from a "Food Cemetery" you control to the Graveyard equal to the number of monsters your opponent currently controls. Those monsters that are currently on the field cannot attack this turn. During your next Standby Phase, inflict 300 damage to your opponent for each card sent by this effect.

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime, and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **For those who are wondering, I am planning on Ruri and Sora having a rematch in the future. Just thought I would give a tease with them dueling a little and ending in a no contest.**

 **I'll share more about Lucine in the next chapter. Though I'll say this, if you've read Yu-Gi-Oh manga, then surely she'll look familiar to some of you (if I described her well enough). If not, I'll share who exactly she is in the next chapter.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Shadows of Rebellion -** Yuto encounters fellow Resistance member Lucine who was assigned to come and assist him and Shun. They begin to discuss what is currently happening in their home. Afterwards, as Yuzu continues her Fusion training, Masumi approaches Yuzu and Sora about the masked duelist and then...

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	16. Shadows of Rebellion

**I actually surprised myself with how fast I managed to update this time but we'll see if I can keep it up (Though it is probably cause there wasn't a lot I needed to put in this chapter but who knows). Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed the last chapter. By the way, didn't realize it at the first but Ch. 15 was officially my second longest chapter so far and that's why it took a little longer than it should have. Here's some of my responses:**

 _ **Frost190**_ **\- Thank you for the comments, Frost! :) Sorry I haven't been updating as much. I'm not perfect when it comes to making these updates more frequent.**

 **With that said, let's get started.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16 - Shadows of Rebellion**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION**

Reiji was standing in the middle of a testing room inside LDS, where above him was a lot of researchers monitoring the situation and preparing to start analyzing as soon as the test started.

Reiji looked at the two cards in his hand: Kepler and Galilei, two of the very same Pendulum Monsters he used against his duel with Yuya. He then revealed the cards as he held them out, "Using the Scale 1 DD Magical Savant Galilei and the Scale 10 DD Magical Savant Kepler, I set the Pendulum Scale!" He placed the cards on his duel disk as the word _PENDULUM_ formed between them. Galilei and Kepler appeared next to Reiji inside pillars of light with numbers _1_ and _10_ in front of them respectfully.

"With this, I can simultaneously summon multiple monsters from Levels 2 to 9! Grand power which shakes my very soul! Arise within me and give birth to a new light that rends the darkness! Pendulum Summon!" Reiji held up three cards in his hand, "Come before me, my monsters!" Three monsters appeared from the portal, "The three transcendental deities that rule over all kings, DDD Great Death King Hell Armageddon ( **ATK: 3000** , DEF: 1000, LV: 8, PS: 4)!" All three of Reiji's Armageddons appeared side by side, each covered in a dark aura.

Nearby in the control room, researchers were looking through the monitors as they read the energy levels, "Pendulum Summoning confirmed!" "Summoning energy levels are stable!"

The head researcher, who was standing next to Nakajima, held up a fist in excitement, "Good! If it can stabilize at this stage…"

Reiji looked up at his two Pendulum Monsters and three Hell Armageddons. He then turned his head to see an image of Yuya with his duel disk activated inside his head. Then, _Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon_ and _Mystic Glow Ritual Dragon_ appeared behind Yuya as they both looked ready for a fight. Reiji had a determined expression on his face as he was seeing these images, "Yuya…"

As he was thinking about his last duel with Yuya, he grabbed the last card in his hand. However, at the moment, he heard the head researcher call out to him, "President!" He raised his head to listen more, "We have cleared today's benchmarks! Our experiment this time was a success!"

From hearing that, Reiji closed his eyes and took a deep breath in order to regain his composure from feeling that competitiveness towards Yuya and his Pendulum Summoning. He soon opened his eyes again and deactivated his duel disk, making all of his monsters disappear.

After a few minutes, back in Reiji's office, Reiji was sitting at his desk while Nakajima was standing across from him. Nakajima smiled at him, "Congratulations, sir. We are now one step closer to creating our own Leo Corporation Pendulum Cards."

Reiji had his eyes closed before he picked up a remote, "However, they are still incomplete." He pressed a button and a screen came down which showed images of some of Yuya's Pendulum Cards. One of them was Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon while images of the Pendulum Cards Reiji had appeared on the screen as well, separated from Yuya's while the energy readings from Yuya's original Pendulum cards and the cards Leo Corporation had made appeared underneath them. It showed that the energy readings from Yuya's Pendulum Cards were much higher.

"Compared to the original Pendulum Cards Yuya Sakaki possesses, there is a far gap between their energy output." Reiji turned his head back to Nakajima, "As they are now, they are far from being usable in the tournament."

Nakajima bowed his head with an apologizing expression on his face, "Right, my apologies sir. I will make the research department resolve this as soon as possible. We will do whatever it takes to make them usable in time for the tournament."

Reiji turned his chair around and stood up, "That is the deadline." He snapped with his fingers and then curtains vanished from the window as he looked out over the city, "We can't underestimate our competition in the tournament that will be taking place in this Maiami City. No matter where our opponents may come from."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Somewhere in a theater, where the field was an old, wooden town, Sora pointed at his opponent that was wearing a green kimono while holding a fan in his hand, "I make a direct attack with Death-Toy Scissor Bear!" Scissor Bear went straight forward towards Sora's opponent, who looked frightened to see the monster coming closer.

Scissor Bear slashed with his claws and pushed him back, making him hit the wall with a thud. He was dazed from the attack, "It seems it has...ended…"

 **? LP: 200** → **0**

 **SORA: WIN  
?: LOSE**

Sora jumped a little in excitement from having his second win out of six opponents he had to face, "I did it! See that? Two wins in a row!"

He looked at Yuzu as she smiled in excitement, "Nice job, Sora!" Sora smiled a little proudly as he had his hands on his waist, "So, did you manage to figure out how Fusion Summon works?"

Yuzu nodded in response, "Yeah. I think I'm getting the hang of it. Just like with Mikleo's teachings." It was a little tricky, but it actually easier to understand it once you learn more about it like with how she was taught Ritual Summoning.

Sora's cheeky smile grew even bigger, "Well, you do have a great teacher in your hands." Yuzu sweatdropped a little from Sora's cheekiness.

Sora then grabbed Yuzu's arm as he urgently pulled her away from the area, "Come on, let's get to my next duel!" Yuzu hastily replied, "Alright, we're going!"

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (NEARBY) LDS**

Yuto was taken aback before recognizing her, "...Lucine." He wasn't expecting to see one of his comrades and was confused as to what's she doing here.

He knew who she was: Lucine Dusana, a fellow member of the Resistance and one of Yuto's friends he met when he and Shun were apart of Heartland Duel School's Spade Branch. They met around a year ago when they training for their duels with the Clover Branch. Ruri met Lucine and they became good friends before she introduced Lucine to him and Shun and they all hanged out occasionally.

From seeing who it was, Yuto took off his bottom mask as he looked at her. They stared at each other for around half a minute before Yuto slowly greeted her with a small smile, "...It's good to see you again, Lucine." He offered her his hand in a handshake.

Lucine looked back at him before sporting the same smile on her face, "...Same with me, Yuto." She accepted the handshake as they greeted each other like old friends.

Yuto narrowed his eyes in confusion, "But...what are you doing here? I thought me and Shun were supposed to be the only ones who went to Standard." From what the Resistance had in mind, they agreed that him and Shun would go to Standard to see if they could gather some more information about their enemy.

Lucine gave Yuto a serious expression, "...That's true. But lately, with how things have been going back at home, our leader decided I should come and help you and Shun." With a lot of things on the line, just in case, the leader of the Resistance decided to send her to assist Yuto and Shun since there is much they don't know about the other dimensions.

Yuto looked down at the ground a little, "...He did, huh." To be honest, he's not surprised given their situation. He's probably worried sick about him and Shun. He gathered that he chose Lucine just in case as she was one of the more closer friends him and Shun had in the Resistance. He felt a little happy that their leader cared that much for him and Shun.

However, something clicked his mind as he rehashed what Lucine had said. He looked a little concerned, "What do you mean? Did something happen while me and Shun left?"

Lucine shook her head, "Nothing major. We've mostly been able to hold our enemy back especially with our "special cards" in our arsenal."

Yuto narrowed his eyes at what he heard, "Those cards…" To be honest, he had heard the Resistance had special kind of cards. He hasn't seen it personal but he heard how they've mostly benefited them in their battles with Fusion. He and Shun were offered a couple of them before they left for Standard but they both declined, saying their comrades back home probably needed them more.

However, Lucine interrupted his thoughts, "That, and given the fact we can't really afford to lose a lot of our comrades. He thought it be safer if I accompany you."

Yuto nodded in response, "I see."

Lucine frowned a little as she looked at the ground, "We are able to hold them back so far. They haven't found our hideout yet so I believe we're in the clear for now. I wonder how long that will last." She then raised her head as she sighed a little, "Unfortnately, we still haven't figured how to turn our comrades back to normal."

Yuto sighed a little disappointment, "...I see." Even though some of Heartland's scientists have figured out the technology Fusion uses to seal people into cards and offered the Resistance to use some of it, they haven't been able to figure out how to reverse engineer it in order to turn them back. And from the information he and Shun obtained, none of Academia's soldiers know how to do it neither.

Lucine then started telling Yuto among the other things that have been happening in the Xyz Dimension. Once she was done, she clenched her fist and held it to her heart before she bowed her head to Yuto, "But...even though our situation is alright for now, I hope you and Shun wouldn't mind me helping you." She then raised her head as gave Yuto a neutral expression, "But if you think I'll be in your way, then I understand."

Yuto stared at her for a few seconds before he placed his hand on her shoulder. He smiled reassuringly, "...Not at all. You are welcome to help me and Shun."

Lucine nodded her head before she looked around the area and noticed someone is missing. She narrowed her eyes in confusion, "So, where is Shun?"

Yuto looked at the ground in minor frustration, "...I don't know. I've been trying to find him for a while..."

Lucine held out her hand in a stop motion as she felt he didn't need to say anything else, "No matter, we'll worry about that later." She then looked serious, "But first, can you tell me what's been happening here in Standard?"

Yuto was pondering some things as he raised his head, "Well, you see…" He then proceeded to tell Lucine what has been happening here in Standard.

After he was done with his report on LDS, Lucine held a hand up to her chin in a thinking manner, "I see. So some of LDS may be aware of Fusion but not everyone. I suppose it makes sense given Standard isn't supposedly involved in this war."

Then, Yuto got to the part when he met Yuzu whose face resembles Ruri. Lucine looked a little sceptical, "You're saying this Yuzu has the same face as Ruri? And this Yuya has the same face as yours?" She doesn't know much about different dimensions but that seems a little ridiculous in her opinion.

Yuto nodded his head, "Yeah, I wasn't sure if it was really Ruri at first but Yuzu really does have the same face as her."

Lucine crossed her arms over themselves, "Hmm..." She really didn't know what to make of this. She decided to keep listening to Yuto's report.

He then got the part when he met Yuzu again and also this kid named Sora who is confirmed to be an agent of Academia. Lucine narrowed her eyes as she heard that but kept listening. Finally, the last thing he got to was that both times he has met Yuzu: he found out Ruri was here in Standard. The first time he believed he heard her voice and the second time, Yuzu said that Ruri was apparently looking for him and Shun.

Lucine's eyes widened in shock, "Ruri's...Ruri's here?" Seeing the look on Yuto's face as he nodded his head confirmed it. She turned her head towards the ground as she had to process this, "And...she's okay?"

Yuto closed his eyes, "From what Yuzu said, she might be."

Lucine took a deep breath before smiling a little in relief, "...Thank goodness." Her expression then turned back into a serious one as she raised her head to hear the rest. After hearing all of it, she had time to think as she had her arms crossed again.

After thinking for a minute, she opened her eyes with a neutral expression on her face, "Alright, I understand what we need to do now."

Yuto nodded his head, "Yeah." Lucine put her hands on his shoulders as she had a look of determination, "Then let's get going."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Yuya was laying on the floor of the dueling field as he was pondering some things. With a lot going on and being focused on the Maiami City, something has been bothering him for a while and that's something about his Pendulum Summon.

Ever since he saw Yuzu and his other friends somehow obtain Pendulum Cards as well as Reiji using his own, he can't help but wonder if there's something that lies hidden within Pendulum Summoning. It began to bother him a little more he saw how Yuzu used her Pendulum Cards to Ritual Summon.

Yuya looked up at the ceiling, " _I wonder...maybe Reiji has already completely figured out how Pendulum works."_ He figured there's a reason Reiji used the data from his duels in order to create his own but he still hasn't figured out what for though. Yuya narrowed his eyes, " _Does Reiji see something in Pendulum Summoning that I don't?"_

Yuya took out his pendant and stared at it as he swung it back and forth; a thought came to his mind, "Further possibilities of evolution for Pendulum Summoning…I wonder if he can see it."

If he is missing something, hopefully he can eventually figure it out. He brought Pendulum Summoning to dueling so he has to figure it out somehow.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN LOCATION**

In another theater, Sora was standing in front of an actor duelist that was painted white in the face with red lines in it and he had his legs apart, "And with this… My turn is completed!" The actor duelist held out his arm in front of him, "It's your turn now, face me!" He lifted right leg and placed it on the stage once again.

As the audience watching was clapping, Sora got a huge smile on his face, "Cool, so cool! That was really interesting! You might give Yuya a run for his money for when I dueled him!"

Yuzu, who was sitting in the crowd, looked at him frustrated, "Come on already, Sora! Stop messing around and draw already! You're gonna end it on this turn after all!" She was a little impatient that Sora almost wasn't taking this seriously.

Sora looked at Yuzu with a disappointed expression, "Fine, fine. Recently, it seems you've been really excited….Oh, well." Sora placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, Draw!"

Sora drew his next card and he saw it was _Edge Imp Scissors_. Sora had a smile appear on his face, "Alright, here it is, Edge Imp Scissors!" Sora turned to Yuzu, "I've showed you some of my cards so far, so you should know what's in my hand, right?"

Yuzu smiled at him, "It's obvious! You use the _Polymerization_ card in your hand and you fuse Edge Imp Scissors and Furnimal Bear in your hand as well!"

Sora nodded with a proud smile on his face, "That's correct! Looks like you starting to finally get it now, Yuzu."

Sora held up the card in his hand as Yuzu mimicked the motion, "I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization from my hand!"

Yuzu held out her hand like she was holding the cards, "The monsters I choose to fuse are Edge Imp Scissors and Furnimal Bear!"

Both monsters went into the colorful vortex as Sora and Yuzu both chanted, "Claws of the demon and fangs of the beast! Within a vortex of mystery become one and reveal to us your new form! Fusion Summon! Come forth, horrifying beast that shreds all! Death-Toy Scissor Bear ( **ATK: 2200** , DEF: 1800, LV: 6)!" Scissor Bear appeared on Sora's field.

Yuzu and Sora both held out their hands toward the actor duelist, "I attack directly with Death-Toy Scissor Bear!" Bear swung out with his arm and sent the actor duelist flying in to the wall and then he groaned, "Such a splendid view… truly splendid…"

 **? LP:** **400** → **0**

 **SORA: WIN  
?: LOSE**

The audience clapped in response to exciting duel they just watched. A man then covered the stage next to Sora with a curtain.

Sora looked towards Yuzu with a smile, "Alright, that does it! The third one was a pushover too. Well, I'm glad that Yuzu is learning how to use Fusion properly, so it's all good." Sora gave her a thumbs up as a result of how hard she's working at this.

Yuzu nodded her head with a determined expression on her face, "I've made up my mind to catch up to Yuya! I have to completely master Fusion Summoning as well for the Maiami Championship!" She then narrowed her eyes as she thought of the ace of LDS' Fusion Course, "And to defeat Masumi Kotsu."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LDS**

Yaiba, Hokuto and Masumi stood in the entrance hall of LDS. The two boys looked at Masumi with troubled expressions on their faces as Yaiba asked her, "Come on Masumi, are you really going out to search again today?"

Masumi narrowed her eyes and held up her right fist, "Of course I am! I have to find that black masked duelist and ask him about Professor Marco!" She turned her head to the side while showing a worried expression on her face for her teacher.

Yaiba and Hokuto looked at each other before they turned back toward Masum as Yaiba asked, "But can we be sure that that guy really is the culprit behind the attacks?"

Hokuto looked at her, "You haven't seen him use Xyz, have you?"

Masumi held up her right fist as she had a determined expression on her face, "That's why I need to find him and see if he uses Xyz with my own eyes!" She looked down at the ground, "Besides Yuya Sakaki, every other person who uses Xyz is either a student, instructor, or staff member of LDS." She has to find out who it is for her sake. She then turned around and ran out of the building.

Yaiba sighed a little, "Man, she really is stubborn…" Hokuto turned his head to Yaiba, "Don't let her catch you saying that or she'll send you flying." From the time they've spent with Masumi, they figured out quickly that she's has a fiery attitude when she gets emotional.

Yaiba narrowed his eyes, "But she's right, though. If we don't find the culprit fast, the situation is only going to get worse." He's been hearing out about how LDS staff members keep disappearing left and right. He's been having a bad feeling about this whole thing.

Hokuto nodded his head as he looked troubled, "Yeah, it's been rumored that some top members of LDS are being taken out."

Yaiba turned his eyes to Hokuto, "Eventually they might show up in front of us…" He then held up his kendo as he looked determined, "If it happens, I'll be ready."

Hokuto nodded his head, "Well, I guess I'll be ready as well." With his pride as an Xyz user, he feels he needs to defend LDS as well. He then looked at Yaiba curiously, "By the way, how's your training going with _that guy_?"

Yaiba looked at Hokuto for a second before showing a smirk, "...I'd say it's going very well." He was feeling a little proud at the progress Gongenzaka was making.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - ALLEYWAY**

Masumi entered the alleyway where one of the latest attacks had happened. She walked under the "KEEP OUT" sign and looked around the place as she walked. After around half a minute of looking, she sighed as she couldn't find any clues and was about to walk away.

However, she then heard something hit the ground next to her. She saw a piece of concrete that seemed to have fallen down. She looked up and gasped in shock when she saw large claw markings on the bridge above her, the piece of concrete had fallen loose from one of the claw marks in the bridge, "That's…?" Masumi could only look on in shock from the damage she was seeing, "This is where the members of the elite team got attacked…"

But before she could gather more of her thoughts, she heard someone call out to her, "Hey! What are you doing here?!" She turned around and saw an LDS officer.

Knowing that she would have a hard time explaining what she was doing in an restricted area, she took and ran away as the LDS officer ran after her, trying to catch her.

As Masumi ran, she thought about she had just discovered and started to get really worried, " _It can't be...Professor Marco was attacked by a monster that can actually do real damage to surrounding objects? What could have happened here?"_ She thought to herself as she felt horrified as to what could have possibly happened to her favorite teacher.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR**

Yuzu and Sora arrived at the harbor as they walking towards their usual training spot. Yuzu looked at Sora, "I would've ended that duel one turn earlier! Your opponent's monster was only 1500. Instead of summoning Furnimal Bear there, you could've summoned Furnimal Lion with only 1600 ATK."

Sora smiled at her while he had a lollipop in his mouth, "I knew that. I just wanted to show you Fusion Summoning." He then closed his eyes as his smile turned a little cheeky, "After all, it did seem like you didn't get it last time so I just wanted to make sure."

Yuzu nodded her head as she smiled confidently, "Don't worry, I understand how Fusion works now! I think I've gotten enough practice too! Now, all I have to do is polish my skills up in a real match."

Sora smiled at her, "Well, aren't you confident?" He then closed his eyes while he was getting a little fired up, "With you learning Pendulum and Ritual Summoning, I guess you'll have to show me your skills at Fusion Summoning as well." He then took the lollipop out of his mouth, "I've wanted to have another challenge for some time now."

Yuzu chuckled a little, "You're on!" With all of the training she's been getting, she feels like she's better as a duelist.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the both of them, Yuto and Lucine were hiding on top of the rooftop of the warehouse nearby as they were observing Sora and Yuzu. They had their bottom masks on which covered their mouths but not their eyes.

Lucine looked around the corner and saw the two walking. She narrowed her eyes as she whispered, "Are they the ones?" Yuto whispered back, "Yeah. That's Yuzu and Sora."

Lucine narrowed her eyes even further as she looked at Sora, " _So that's the Academia agent?"_ She clenched her fists for a couple seconds before she calmed down. She almost let her anger get the better of her. She then turned her attention to Yuzu and her eyes widened a little as she saw her face, " _She really does have Ruri's face."_ She wasn't sure if Yuto was serious but this confirms it. But...why? Why does she have the same face as her friend?

Lucine turned back to Yuto in a serious manner, "So, what do we do? I'd say we engage them."

Yuto raised his head to Lucine before he shook it, "No, I still want to talk to Yuzu about Ruri. We can't provoke her or give her the wrong idea about us. We might have to wait until she's not with Sora before we can talk to her. He already knows about my relation to Ruri and I don't want any more information given to him."

Lucine narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "I don't know about this. How do you know we can trust her?" She definitely doesn't trust Sora but she doesn't know anything about Yuzu and can't be expected to just trust her right out of the bat. From what she heard Yuto said, Yuzu said out loud that Ruri was looking for Yuto right in front of Sora and that raises some flags in her opinion. She basically told Sora what Yuto's relation is to Ruri and that may cause her to be put in danger.

Yuto looked down at the ground in thought, "...Trust me. I think we can." From what he had heard her say before, she seems to be an honest and kind girl. She also kinda reminds him of Ruri in a way so he believes they can trust her. Besides, she doesn't know about their situation so he doesn't blame her for telling him about Ruri right when Sora was near.

Lucine narrowed her eyes before she saw the seriousness in Yuto's answer. She sighed a little before she sat down, "Alright, I'll believe you, Yuto. I still don't know about her though." Yuto nodded his head as he understood Lucine was having a hard time trusting someone she's literally just heard about an hour ago. She was just trying to look out for her friends and comrades and wanted to be extra careful with everything that's happening.

Sora, who had a smile on his face, licked his lollipop before he stopped and looked at Yuzu curiously, "Before we do, I'm curious." Yuzu stopped and turned to him a little confused. Sora continued, "Are you still bothered by _that guy_ from the other day?"

Yuzu was surprised a little before she looked at the ground as she knew who Sora was talking about, "...Maybe a little."

Sora then turned to where he had his back towards as he held his hands over his head, "So who is he? You said his name was Yuto?"

Yuzu nodded her head, "...Yeah. He's Ruri's friend and she's been looking for him for a while." She figured she should tell him especially since it occurred to her that he didn't hear the full story when she was told about.

However, Yuzu didn't notice Sora was smiling a little while he talked, "Interesting." He continued, "And you said this was the second time you've met him like that?"

Yuzu raised her head, "Yeah. The first time was here as well." She recalled her unusual first encounter with Yuto when he was protecting her from Shingo and his henchmen.

But then, Sora interrupted her thoughts with a teasing smile, "And that's how he went and stole your heart, then?"

Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise as she turned back to Sora in shock, "Wha-?! That's not what I'm saying!"

Sora still had his back turned to her, "I'm pretty excited myself too, though." He turned to face Yuzu with an intrigued smile, "After all, he seems like a pretty interesting guy." He recalled his first encounter with this Yuto as he suspected that he was an "Xyz remnant" as well.

As Yuzu was looking at him with a confused expression, Sora took out some chocolate, "If that Masumi Kotsu didn't butt in, I might've been able to Duel him too…" He took a bite out of his chocolate, "That was really disappointing."

Yuzu looked at Sora with a scolding expression, "Sora, you can't duel him." Sora turned to her confused, "Why?"

She then looked concerned, "Well, cause Ruri may not appreciate you dueling him while she's looking for him. And…" The only thing that was bothering her a little was the fact his dragon was able to cause real damage even when Solid Vision wasn't used.

Yuzu was confused, "...I don't know. Something's been bothering me about him. Why was he able to create real shockwaves outside of Solid Vision?" Sora tilted his head a little in confusion but then looked even more intrigued as Yuzu didn't notice.

After she listened to their conversation, Lucine turned her head back to Yuto who lowered his head and then closed his eyes. He was recalling something that happened in his home before he came here.

* * *

 _XYZ DIMENSION - HEARTLAND_

 _Flashback (Around a few days ago…)_

 _Yuto was looking around a destroyed city, a city that was his home that had been destroyed by invaders._

 _He looked at the destruction around him as he thought about the people who had fallen in battle: both his allies and the invaders. They might have attacked them, but he never wanted to harm anyone with his dueling. He had his eyes closed in pain as he clenched his fist, "I...I don't want to harm anyone anymore!"_

 _However, he then heard someone yell, "...say something, Rin!" He turned his head to see someone on the rooftop of a damaged building. It appeared to be a boy in a white jumpsuit and jacket while wearing a helmet and he also had a motorcycle with him. He heard him yell again and thought he said something about Fusion._

 _The boy on the motorcycle noticed Yuto and glared at him, "You're…" Yuto glared back at him as he didn't know who he was, "Are you from Academia too?"_

 _The boy with the motorcycle raised his head in confusion, "Huh?" Yuto answered back, "I heard something about Fusion."_

 _The boy looked irritated as he glared at Yuto, "Who are you calling Fusion? My name is Yugo!" He angrily pointed at Yuto, "And I'm not leaving until I beat the crap out of you!" Yugo activated his duel disk that was inside his duel runner._

 _Yuto activated his duel disk in response, "So you are with Fusion!" Yugo drove off the building and flew towards Yuto, "Listen when people talk!" An explosion was created as they clashed with each other._

 _After a while,_ _Yuto had summoned Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Yugo had summoned a white and blue dragon without legs with four green glowing wings. The two dragon clashed with each other, making it a pretty even match._

 _However, before they could continue the duel, some of the Resistance had arrived to assist Yuto. Yugo gritted his teeth before he looked at Yuto, "We'll settle this later." He then deactivated his Duel Disk and drove away while Yuto deactivated his as well and Dark Rebellion disappeared._

 _Shun, who was wearing with a red scarf over the lower part of his face, walked over to Yuto, "Yuto, did you find Ruri?" Yuto gritted his teeth before he shook his head. Shun clenched his fists, "Damn it, did they take her?"_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR**

Yuto opened his eyes as he frowned underneath his mask, "Ruri…" He thought about Yuzu, who reminded him of Ruri to some extent, and how she is trying to learn Fusion Summoning. He didn't really want her to get involved in their battle.

Lucine, though her face didn't show much, narrowed her eyes in concern, "Yuto…" She is one of the very few people who know how hard it must be for someone like Yuto to fight in this war.

Just as Yuzu and Sora were almost done talking and about to duel, they saw someone step out in front of them. Yuzu's eyes widened as she saw that it was Masumi, "You're...Masumi Kotsu." She was then confused, "What are you doing here?"

Masumi ignored her question and just looked at them, "Do you know what's going on in Maiami City right now?"

Yuzu was more confused by the question, "What do you mean?"

Masumi narrowed her eyes, "I'm talking about the repeated assault incidents by a mysterious duelist." Yuzu's eyes widened in shock, "Repeated assault incidents? You mean more people have been attacked?" She remembered something Shingo said to her and Yuya about another teacher of LDS getting attacked. There were even more victims now?

Masumi nodded, "Yeah. All of the victims are connected to LDS. But none of them can say what actually happened...because all of them have disappeared."

Yuzu narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Disappeared...?" Sora had his eyes narrowed while had his lollipop in his mouth.

Masumi clenched her fists as her arms began to shake, "They're all gone! Professor Marco and members of the LDS top team...They were all attacked and never seen again…" Masumi's eyes looked like they were about to water as Yuzu felt troubled by what Masumi just said.

Masumi looked at Yuzu with a somewhat pleading expression on her face, "Please! Tell me where I can find him! You know where he is, don't you?!"

Yuzu was confused, "Him…?"

Masumi narrowed her eyes a little, "The one who was with you back then, the black-masked duelist!"

Yuzu gasped as she now realized Masumi was talking about Yuto. She did remember how Masumi had appeared and challenged him to a duel, however he had disappeared when her bracelet shone again.

Masumi clenched her fists even harder and gritted her teeth, "If I caught him back then...I could have been able to prevent the incidents after that!" She then angrily pointed at Yuzu, "It's all because you let him get away!"

Yuzu was taken aback, "You can't be serious. I don't know anything…" While she might know somewhat of who Yuto is, she doesn't know where he is or anything else other than him being Ruri's friend.

Masumi held up her right fist and closed her eyes, "Don't lie to me! Professor Marco has disappeared! That kind and strong Professor Marco has…!" She paused for a second as she remembered the kindness her teacher had for her when he was teaching her some lessons. She then continued, "He might be suffering somewhere right now! That's why I have to find him as soon as possible!"

Masumi opened her eyes and glared at Yuzu with tears in her eyes, "Hurry up and tell me where he is!"

Yuzu frowned at her, "Masumi…" While she isn't friends with Masumi, she could see that this is really personal for her. Feeling she can't really help much, Yuzu narrowed her eyes, "I already told you! I don't know where he is!"

Masumi growled a little, "Then why were you with him at the scene of the first incident?!"

Yuzu looked at Masumi, "We were there because I asked Sora to help me with something! Then we saw him hiding nearby, that's all!"

Masumi gritted her teeth in frustration as she felt Yuzu was lying again. She then reached out of her bag on her leg and pulled out her duel disk, "Fine, if you're going to insist on feigning ignorance…" She held out her duel disk towards Yuzu, "Then as a duelist, I'll force an answer out of you!"

Sora got a smile on his face, "Why not? An LDS Fusion Summoner is no problem at all for you now." He turned his eyes to Yuzu, "You can take her out with ease!"

Yuzu was a little surprised, "You're saying I should accept her challenge?" While she really wouldn't back down from a duel, she felt as though dueling over a misunderstanding wouldn't be great for the both of them. Although, part of her does want revenge from their last duel.

Sora's smile grew a little confident, "Yeah, and besides, you've been saying for a while now that you've had enough practice and all you need now is to polish your skills in a real match."

Yuzu pondered for a second before she nodded her head and took out her Duel Disk. She had decided to learn Fusion Summoning because Masumi defeated her with Fusion Summoning. So this would be a good way to not only polish her skills at Fusion Summoning, but like Sora said, get some payback for her defeat the last time she faced Masumi.

Masumi heard what Sora said and felt insulted by his claim. She glared at him, "Who's going to get taken out with ease?!" She pointed at Yuzu, "Did you forget how she lost to me the last time?"

Sora turned his head with his eyes closed a little as he was confident, "I remember, but Yuzu is on a different level than before."

Masumi raised an eyebrow, "And how is she any different?"

Sora turned back to Masumi and winked at her, "It's simple really. She understands that LDS's Fusion Summoning isn't actually a threat now."

Masumi's eyes widened a little as she growled from what Sora just said to her, "Those words are an insult to Professor Marco who taught me Fusion Summoning! I won't forgive you for that!" She held out her duel disk towards Sora with a determined expression on her face, "I'll beat some sense into you first!" She was going to go for Yuzu but this cheeky kid decided to insult her pride as an LDS Duelist and she can't accept that.

Sora pointed at himself, "Huh? You want to duel me now?" He then nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, "I don't think you should. After all, it would only hurt your confidence more. You wouldn't be able to beat me."

Masumi threw out her arm in irritation, "Shut up! LDS is the strongest! I'll make sure you never forget it!"

However, they soon heard someone speak, "You're from LDS?" Masumi was shocked as she heard that voice from someone else. Sora's eyes widened in surprise before he quickly sidestepped a little as he heard someone running towards them. Before Yuzu could react, someone ran past and pushed her aside, making her fall to the ground and dropping her duel disk which also spilled her cards all over the ground. The person that ran stopped in front of Yuzu and Sora. It was a young man wearing a red scarf over the lower part of his face, sunglasses over his eyes, and in a blue-purple coat.

The duelist, who was Shun, activated the duel disk on his arm as he looked at Masumi, "If you're from LDS, then I'll be your opponent!" Masumi stared at him in shock and confusion. Sora got over his surprise before narrowing his eyes at this person, " _He's…"_ Yuzu picked herself up from the ground and looked at the person in front of her in confusion as she had never seen him before.

Shun stepped closer to Masumi who took a step backwards. Shun held up his arm that had his activated Duel Disk on. Masumi looked at Shun, "Could it be… are you the culprit behind the repeated attacks towards people from LDS?" She had been sure that black masked duelist had been behind the attacks towards LDS, but had really been this guy all along?

Shun didn't answer her and held up his arm, "Now, face me!" Masumi felt her eyes tremble a little as she didn't know how to respond to this guy.

However, the next moment, they all someone shouting above them, "Stop it, Shun!" Yuto then jumped down from the ceiling of the warehouse next to them and grabbed Shun's arm and looked at him while he narrowed his eyes, "Stop being so reckless!" Sora, Masumi and Yuzu watched this scene shocked.

Shun glared at Yuto, "Yuto!"

Yuto took off his mask as he looked at Shun, "I thought I already told you before that this isn't our battlefield! I told you that they aren't our enemies!"

Shun pulled out of Yuto's grasp and pulled down his scarf as he glared at Yuto behind his sunglasses, "This is MY battlefield! In order to get Ruri back, I have to do this! I said that I would do whatever I need to get her back!"

Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise as she heard what Shun said, " _Ruri?"_ Is this person another friend of Ruri that's worried about her? Sora narrowed his eyes even more when he heard the name.

Shun threw out his arm, "If you're going to get in my way, I'll defeat you too!"

"Don't be a fool, Shun!" Everyone heard another voice before another person arrived from the rooftop and landed next to Yuto. This time they said it was a girl around both Yuto and Shun's age as she had her dark mask. Lucine took it off as she glared at Shun, "We all want her safe as much as you but attacking your comrades won't help either!"

Shun narrowed his eyes through his sunglasses as he saw who it was, "You…" What was she doing here? To his knowledge, Lucine was supposed to be back at _home_.

Yuto glared at Shun, "We both want to see Ruri as much as you, but we won't be any different from _them_ if we go after people who has nothing to do with our battle or our enemies! I know why you're doing this, but it's still not right!" Yuto said that to Shun in a low tone so that only he could hear.

Masumi held her Duel Disk to her ear as she was calling someone, "I have found the culprit behind the assault incidents. Send backup quickly, Yaiba, Hokuto!"

Everyone turned to Masumi as they heard what she was doing. Yuzu walked up from behind Shun, "Wait, Masumi! We don't know if he's the culprit yet!"

Shun turned his head towards Yuzu and gasped in shock when he saw her face. He turned around completely towards her, "Ruri!" Yuzu looked at him confused, not knowing what he was saying before a thought came to mind that he thought she was Ruri cause of her face.

Shun was shocked, "Is that you, Ruri?" He took off his sunglasses to make sure before noticing the pink hair and blue eyes on this girl. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, "No, wait…" He thought she was Ruri for a second before noticing the other features on her and realized she was different from his sister. He suddenly remembered Yuto mentioning a girl that has the same face as Ruri and that girl, with pink hair and blue eyes, is named Yuzu.

Shun narrowed his eyes at Yuzu, "You're Yuzu, aren't you?" Yuzu looked back at him shocked, "Huh?" He knew who she was?

Shun walked closer to her which made her step back a little. Shun's expression then turned a little desperate and hasty, "Tell me, you know where she is right? Where is she? Where is my s…?!"

Before Shun could question her further, Yuto came up to Shun and punched him in the stomach, causing Shun to gasp in pain. Shun turned his eyes back to Yuzu who looked shocked and confused at him.

He then lost consciousness and Yuto held him up on his feet, "We can't solve it like this, Shun." Though he was reluctant to admit, with Shun's reckless attitude, this could have turned into something that was unnecessary. He doesn't want this girl to have the wrong idea about them. Yuto turned to Lucine, who nodded, before he gave her Shun as she placed him on her shoulders as she held him. Yuzu and Sora looked a little shocked and confused by this exchange.

Masumi kept talking on her Duel Disk, "Contact LDS and tell them to send as many people as possible!"

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - DOWNTOWN (NEAR THE HARBOR)**

Hokuto and Yaiba ran towards the harbor. Hokuto was the one talking with Masumi right now, "Understood, Yaiba is contacting them right now!"

Yaiba, who ran behind Hokuto, also had his Duel Disk at his ear, "That's right, they're at the southern warehouse district within the city!"

Meanwhile, Yuya was standing outside of a store reading about different cards and trying to come up with further ways to evolve Pendulum Summoning. He narrowed his eyes in frustration as he sighed, "...There has to be something I'm not getting. Have I done all I can or is there really something else?" To be fair, he has already found ways to evolve his Pendulum Summoning with Ritual, Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Summoning. Maybe he's thinking too much about this. Still, he can't help but feel bothered by it.

However, he then leaned backwards a little frustrated, and at the moment Hokuto came up from behind and crashed in to Yuya and both of them was sent to the ground while they groaned in pain.

Yuya sat up while he held his head in pain, "Ow…" Hokuto also sat up and groaned in pain, "Don't jump out like that!"

Yuya then looked up and saw who had he collided with, "Huh?" Hokuto looked up as well and saw who he had collided with. He then pointed at Yuya, "Wait, you're…" Yaiba also pointed at Yuya, "Yuya Sakaki!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he looked at Hokuto, "You're not even apologizing when you're the one who ran into me?"

Hokuto glared at Yuya, "You should learn to be more aware of your surroundings!"

However, Yaiba scolded Hokuto, "Hey, stop it Hokuto! We don't have time for this!"

Hokuto stood up and looked at Yaiba, "Y-Yeah..."

Yuya noticed that the two of them seemed to be in a hurry and got up on his feet, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Hokuto and Yaiba looked at each other before they turned towards Yuya and Yaiba said, "We found the culprit behind the assault incidents. That mysterious Xyz Duelist. Masumi is keeping him busy at the warehouse district at the harbor."

Yuya's eyes widened in shock, "What?" As he recalled, Yuzu and Sora usually train there so that already made him concerned but he was also curious if they were talking about Yuto. Deciding his friends' safety comes first, Yuya looked at them, "I'm coming with you two."

Hokuto and Yaiba sighed and looked at each other as they didn't have time to argue with him. Yaiba and Hokuto looked back at Yuya before Yaiba pointed at him, "Just don't get in our way, understood?" Yuya nodded his head and the three of them ran towards the harbor.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR**

Yuto and Lucine began to walk away with Shun on Lucine's shoulders before Yuto stopped and looked down at Yuzu's cards laying on the ground. Lucine noticed Yuto stopping so she stopped as well, wondering what he was doing.

Yuto saw the _Polymerization_ card near his left foot. He bent down and picked up the card and looked it while his eyes narrowed a little.

He then looked over his shoulder towards Yuzu as he held up the card, "This card doesn't suit you." Yuzu's eyes blinked in confusion, "Huh?" She then narrowed her eyes at him, "What do you mean by that?"

Before Yuto could speak, Lucine spoke, "...Nothing good will come with Fusion Summoning." She said that with narrowed eyes as she looked at Yuzu. Yuzu was shocked, wondering what this girl could possibly be talking about.

Sora smiled as he was leaning on a container nearby, "Well, isn't that too bad. However, I don't like hearing that about presents I give to people." Yuto turned to Sora as Lucine turned her head as well. Sora looked at the both of them with a smirk, "I wouldn't mind showing you how amazing that card is, though." He licked his lollipop as he watched what Yuto might do.

Yuto narrowed his eyes as him and Sora stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Lucine frowned before she stepped up in front of Yuto, showing she is willing to take him on in Yuto's place. Sora noticed her and narrowed his eyes before an intrigued smirk formed on his face.

Yuzu stepped in between all three of them as she faced Sora, "Cut it out, Sora!" She then turned towards Yuto and Lucine, "And you, Yuto! I still have a lot of questions for you! What did you talk about with that Shun guy earlier? And why would nothing good come from Fusion Summoning? Ruri said the same thing to me before."

Lucine's eyes widened a little as she heard what Yuzu said, " _Ruri told her that?"_ She was then curious as to what else Ruri has told this girl and can't help but feel more cautious as this girl is still trying to learn Fusion Summoning. Yuto was surprised as well but hid it by narrowing his eyes, not saying anything in response.

Masumi was watching the scene unfold, hoping that Yuzu would distract that guy long enough for Yaiba and Hokuto to get there so he wouldn't get away with the one who had been attacking LDS members.

She then heard someone call out to her, "Masumi!" She looked to her left and saw Hokuto and Yaiba coming towards her along with Yuya Sakaki behind them. However, at the moment, as the three of them came close, a blinding light came out of Yuzu's bracelet and Yuto and Lucine gasped in shock as they got teleported away by it along with Shun who Lucine was carrying. Yuzu, Sora, and Masumi were blinded for a couple seconds before it dimmed out.

Once Yuzu, Sora and Masumi could open their eyes again, they saw that Yuto, Lucine, and Shun had disappeared. Masumi stood and stared in shock when Yaiba and Hokuto came up and stopped right next to her as Hokuto said, "Masumi!" Yaiba looked at her with a determined expression on his face, "Where's the culprit?"

Masumi was almost at a lost for words as she stared at the space where the culprit was a second ago, "He disappeared…" The two of them looked at her in shock, "Huh?" They looked at each other, the perpetrator had managed to get away before they got here?

Yuya ran towards Yuzu, "Yuzu, are you okay?" He was a little concerned if she might be in danger but wondered what happened here.

Yuzu just stared at her bracelet, "Y-Yeah…" She then narrowed her eyes, "It happened again…" Once again, her bracelet decided to shine right when Yuya arrives and Yuto and the other two vanish as a result. Yuya narrowed his eyes in confusion before realizing she might have seen Yuto again.

Yuzu was even more confused, "Why does this happen?" She then turned to Yuya, "Especially right when you arrive, Yuya?" Yuya was taken aback before he shook his head, not knowing the reason why her bracelet does that.

Yuzu frowned as she looked at her bracelet, "I don't get it. What is happening here? Why did they say Fusion Summoning is bad as well?"

Yuya raised an eyebrow, "They?" Was she saying there was more than one person here before? When he saw her face, he then determined that it was more than Yuto appearing here.

Yuzu was a little depressed as she sighed, "...I don't know what to do." She wants to talk to Ruri about this but knows she doesn't want to talk right now. She doesn't want it to turn into an argument she might regret. Now, not just Ruri, but Yuto and this other girl are saying Fusion Summoning are bad as well. Is there something about Fusion Summoning she just doesn't understand?

Yuzu felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Yuya with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I'll help you figure it out Yuzu." Yuzu, seeing Yuya's smile and hearing he would help her, made her smile gratefully, "...Thank you, Yuya."

Yuya looked down and saw the cards on the ground. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity before suddenly kneeling down and decided to gather up the cards off the ground. Yuzu looked at him a little troubled, "Ah, you don't have to do that, Yuya."

Yuya just ignored her and picked up the rest of the cards then grabbed her Duel Disk. He placed her deck on top of the Duel Disk before he got back up on his feet and held it out towards Yuzu, "Here." Yuzu gave Yuya a small smile as she took her Duel Disk and deck back, "Thanks again Yuya." Yuya just nodded his head with a smile.

The LDS trio watched this scene until they heard cars stopping close to them and looked towards the cars as Yaiba said, "It's the backup from LDS."

Masumi ran past Yuya, Yuzu and Sora and went towards the cars as people was getting out of them, "I'm sorry, the culprit was just here but he somehow managed to escape."

Sora narrowed his eyes, "Looks like things are about to get troublesome around here, so I think we should get out of here before they stop us for questioning since we were here and saw the culprit as well." Sora placed a hand on a shocked Yuzu's back and began to push her forward before he looked at Yuya, "You should come too Yuya."

Yuya nodded his head, "Right, I'm coming." He then ran after Sora and Yuzu.

However, as he passed by, Hokuto and Yaiba ran past him as well before Yaiba stopped and looked at Yuya with a smirk, "Hey Yuya! I heard that you need 4 more wins in order to qualify for the Maiami Championship."

Yuya stopped before he nodded his head, "...Yeah, that's right." He wondered how Yaiba knew about that.

Yaiba kept his smirk on, "Well, I just wanted to wish you good luck. I'd be glad to face you in the Championship as well." He will admit he was interested in dueling Yuya ever since he watched his duel with Reiji Akaba and couldn't help but feel excited at the chance.

Yuya was surprised for a second before he nodded with a small smile, "Sure. I'd be happy to accept." Yaiba nodded in satisfaction before he ran towards the other LDS officers.

Yuya then noticed that Sora and Yuzu already and sighed a little in exasperation. He then hurried home as he still needed to work on his deck see if he needed to make some final adjustments to it.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE (NIGHTTIME)**

Mikleo raised an eyebrow in curiosity as Yuya was done telling him about what happened later today while they were in Mikleo's room. And then hearing about Yuzu's bracelet suddenly shining again and making possibly Yuto vanish again made him pondering some things.

Mikleo hummed in thought, "Hmm…" He then opened his eyes to look at his brother, "It is very strange that Yuzu's bracelet supposedly only shines when you're near."

Yuya nodded, "Yeah, I don't know why that happens." He then looked at the floor, deep in thought as things were more complicated that it all seems.

Mikleo mused, "I do find it amusing how Yuzu keeps meeting Yuto but you have never met him officially when you get the chance." In some ways, he finds it kinda funny since they supposedly have the same face. He was curious about their reaction to each other since Yuzu already meet Ruri and Rin.

Yuya sweatdropped, "Well, I didn't really plan for something like that." He then turned his eyes to the ceiling as he frowned, "I just wish I can help Ruri out but I'm too focused on the Maiami Championship." He really wants to help out his friend but, with so little time left, he can't afford to waste it in order to qualify.

After a little while, Yuya waved goodnight to his big brother, "Goodnight, Mikleo." Mikleo waved goodnight back as he turned to his computer.

He was going through the data he gathered back when he snuck in LDS and, to be honest, it was taking longer than he anticipated but he's confident he'll get it all cracked eventually.

A thought came to his mind, " _Hmm, I wonder if there's any information about the recent incidents lately."_ He was theorizing as he current doesn't know yet but it's a possibility.

So far, with the data he required, he's only gotten basic information such as job schedules, what's being monitored and whatnot. He figured that they were monitoring the summoning energy in duels that happen in Maiami City for whatever reason; he guessed it was just in case something suspicious was happening in the city.

After a while, he was about to go to bed before he noticed something in the data he decoded: some information about LDS' President, Reiji Akaba. He smiled a little as he caught before he read it, " _Reiji Akaba, 18 years old. Recently, took over the company ever since his father Leo Akaba left the position five years ago."_

Mikleo narrowed his eyes in suspicion, " _Five years ago? That's around the exact same time our father disappeared."_ This can't be a coincidence but what does Reiji have to do with the disappearance of Yusho Sakaki?

Mikleo moved his hands behind his head as he thought this information was very interesting but didn't have much to go on other than theories for now. He needs more information before jumping to conclusions. However, another thought came to mind as something seemed strange to him, "...Come to think of it, whatever did happen to Reiji's father?"

* * *

 **Even though this update was fast, in case y'all haven't figured it out yet, Lucine is actually Luna from the Zexal manga but with alterations I've made for her. I changed her name for reasons I can't disclose yet but they'll be revealed soon enough.**

 **I actually wanted to add more in depth to all factions within Arc-V including the Resistance cause I felt like with just Yuto, Shun, Kaito, Allen, and Sayaka, there wasn't much to say about the Resistance themselves. I was actually going to use another OC in her place but then I started looking at some of the manga characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! and I was interested in using some of them. So, as a result, she was one of the candidates I chose and manga characters are definitely not off the table either.**

 **If you noticed, I'm basically not doing the quiz duel cause I think it is a waste of time and it is my least favorite duel during the first 50 episodes of Arc-V. I'm doing Mieru a little early and I'm doing something else for two of Yuya's duels.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one. Hope you all have a good Christmas this year!**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Fortune of Fate -** With Nico's help, Yuya has his first opponent found in a young fortune teller named Mieru Hōchun. As he is dueling with her fortune telling skills, Mieru tells Yuya that his life is in danger if he continues to duel. In response, he...

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 **Like or please review ~**


	17. Fortune of Fate

**Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed the last chapter. I hope you all had a happy new year! Let's see if I can keep this momentum going. No responses this time, sorry.**

 **With that said, let's get started.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17 - Fortune of Fate**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNNO DIVINATION SCHOOL**

In a dark room that has mirrors, plants, glowing crystals, and a rug with a magic circle on the design, a small girl that was cloaked was sitting at a table with curtains and a crystal ball near her.

The girl placed Duel Monsters cards on the table face-down in front of her while she was smiling, "Everyone is rushing around in a panic to qualify for the Maiami Championship, but I'm just fine. Because my fortune-telling has foretold me winning six matches in a row starting tomorrow!"

The girl looked at the table as she turned one of the cards and it was _Arcana Force VI - The Lovers_. She gasped in shock as she saw the card, "Th-this is-!" It was the Lovers Arcana and, from her skills of fortune-telling, she knew what that meant for her. She then imagined herself with a tall, handsome young with long golden hair as he called out, "Mieru!" Her eyes were seeing hearts as a result of her dream.

As her cheeks flared up and she nose bled a little, she collapsed on the ground in excitement as her hood fell off as well. A few moments later she crawled up from the ground and got back up using the table as she breathed in and out. The girl, whose name is Mieru, was revealed to have curly red hair and green eyes. Mieru held up her cheeks in excitement, "I-I'm going to meet my fated person!? Oh no! Whatever shall I do?" She held her hands to her heart, wondering what kind of amazing person her fated person would be.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

Yuya, while in his pajamas, was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, looking through his cards to see if he's got everything he needs for his first duel tomorrow. He had all of his cards laying in front of him one by one as he looking through each of them, trying to see if there's any other combos he can pull off right now.

Yuya nodded as he finished looking through his cards, "...Alright, I think I'll be ready for my first duel tomorrow." Yuya then laid on the floor as he stared off into space, thinking about what he and Nico talked about before.

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - KIRIGAKURE COOKING SCHOOL_

 _Flashback (A couple days ago…)_

" _That was magnificent, Yuzu Hiragi!" Nico was in front of Yuya and Yuzu as he was talking to them after Yuzu's duel with Michio. Nico shook Yuzu's hand excitedly, "To think you would amaze me the same as Yuya, I was really moved by your performance!"_

 _Yuzu sweatdropped a little from Nico's excitement as he was shaking her hand before smiling, "T-thank you, Nico." Yuya chuckled a little from how Yuzu was taken aback by Nico's behavior._

 _Nico smiled at her, "Speaking of which, Yuzu Hiragi, would you allow me to become your manager if you're interested in becoming a pro?" He bowed a little as he showed he was serious. Before, he was really only interested in Yuya but now Yuzu has made him excited while watching duels as well. He wouldn't have any issue with managing another rising talent in the dueling circuit._

 _Yuzu was taken aback, "Huh? Um…" She really wasn't expecting this and didn't know what to say. She turned to Yuya who shrugged his shoulders, telling her that it was her decision alone._

 _After thinking for about half a minute, Yuzu looked at Nico, "Sorry, Nico but I'm going have to pass for now." Nico raised his head to look at Yuzu with a confused expression as she continued with a smile, "Maybe I do want to become a pro as well in the future but right now I'm just focused on other things. I want to decide my future first."_

 _Nico stared at her for a few seconds as he listened to what she had to say. Yuya smiled a little in response. Nico sighed before looking at her with a smile, "Very well, I understand." He then took a card out of his jacket and handed it to Yuzu, "If you change your mind, you can always call my number." Yuzu took the card and nodded in gratitude._

 _As Yuzu turned and walked to the others to talk, Nico turned to Yuya, "Now then, Yuya, I have good news for you!" Yuya was curious, "What is it?" Nico was excited as he waved his arms around, "I've found your first opponent! A fortune teller duelist from Unno Divination School!"_

 _Yuya tilted his head in confusion, "A fortune teller duelist?" First, he met a cooking duelist now he's going to meet a fortune teller as well. He guessed there is a lot of duelists of variety so he doesn't have any issue with that._

 _Nico held out his hand towards Yuya, "And since Yuzu has wowed me with her dueling, I expect you'll do the same as well!" Nico held up one finger, "Because as of now, I've only seen you duel with Strong Ishijima so you're only within my expectations!"_

 _Yuya was now a little more confused, "Your expectations?" He wondered exactly how much Nico knows about his dueling skills._

 _Nico nodded his head, "That's right! Being able to surpass your audience's excitement and imagination is the mark of a pro!" He then held out his arms in a grandeur way, "So I hope in your first duel, you'll surprise and steal my heart away as well!"_

 _Yuya blinked his eyes for a second before smiling, "...Sure. I'll be sure to surprise you!" However, he then looked at Nico with an apologetic look on his face, "Although Nico, I feel like I need to clear something up." He's not sure if Nico is aware that he isn't trying to be exactly like his father. He's going with a different style when it comes to dueling._

 _Nico was confused, "Hmm?"_

 _He then explained to Nico about what he thinks dueling is for and how his philosophy differs a little from his father: a duel being competitive and fun at the same time. Once he was finished, Nico had a thinking expression on his face as he was processing this while Yuya was curious as to how he would respond._

 _He then smiled at Yuya as he looked excited, "That's understandable, Yuya. You want to be a little different from your father and I respect that." He then held out a hand to Yuya, "Well, in that respect, then surely I'll have fun watching you duel as well. I do wonder what kind of experience you'll show me compared to your father."_

 _Flashback End._

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

Yuya held up his pendant so he could look at it, "Different kind of experience, huh…" He hasn't really shown off his true skills publically other his friends and during his duel with Chihaya. So, hopefully, he should be able to surprise Nico tomorrow.

After deciding he had everything he needed, a thought came to his mind about what happened before today: Yuzu and Sora apparently meeting Yuto again. It did kinda bug him a little bit that he still hasn't been able to meet him for some reason to his older brother's amusement. He's been really curious about him and this Yugo that Rin mentioned before and another person that supposed tried to kidnap her and Ruri. He didn't time to think about it too much because of the business with LDS and the Maiami Championship.

Now, the fact that Yuzu's bracelet teleports Yuto before he could see him leads to more questions. Does that only happen when he's around? Because, to his memory, both times he saw Yuzu with Sora, he saw Yuzu staring at her bracelet for a minute which led him to believe that Yuzu's bracelet activated again. Why is that the case then? He really didn't know.

Yuya was stumped again as he sighed, "I really wish we can get some answers to these questions…" After that, Odd-Eyes and Mystic both appeared in transparent, miniature form in front of Yuya.

With nothing else to theorize, he decided to go to bed to get ready for his first duel.

* * *

HEARTLAND CITY - YUYA'S DREAM

Yuya heard an explosion which made him open his eyes. He saw that he was in the same place he had that dream before. It was the same city he witnessed being destroyed and is currently attacked by the same giant mechanical golems as they destroyed the buildings.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, " _This again…"_ He knew what was happened last time based on last time but that doesn't make it any better. He turned his head downward and saw that he was still transparent and didn't have his duel disk once again.

However, Yuya then noticed his pendant was glowing as it glowed blue right in front of him. Yuya looked at his pendant in curiosity before hearing some laughter.

Yuya turned his head to the left before deciding to run off in that direction to see what's happening. He eventually emerged from an alleyway into a street that had more those mechanical golems destroying the city. He then noticed how three of those uniformed duelists have one of the city residents, who was a woman, cornered. The woman screamed before one of the duelist's duel disks flashed and made the woman disappear. Then, a card appeared from the uniformed man's duel disk as he took it out and all three of them laughed at it. Yuya saw that the woman was inside the card, just like the same person he saw the last time he saw this happen.

Yuya clenched his fists in anger, " _Why those…!"_ He knows he can't do anything right now. For some reason, he's just seeing this and nobody else notices him. Yuya looked at the ground in agony, "Why am I seeing this? What's going on?!" He doesn't care if this is real or not, he just wants to help those people but he can't to his frustration.

Yuya raised his head to glare at the uniformed duelists as they smirked while holding those people trapped in cards. However, he then looked at the uniform and, after a few seconds, confirmed it did look a lot similar to Sora's except these were each wearing a different color: blue, red, and yellow. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, " _It is the same. But why does Sora…?"_

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard something, "I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization!" He turned his head to the right and saw other uniformed duelists that were wearing jagged blue and silver helmets. One of them shouted out, "Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 10! Antique Gear Chaos Giant!" After that, a giant machine that had gears and axles connecting its body parts appeared on the field. It had gray machine parts, looking similar like a dog, as its shoulders, chest, and hands. It also had one small head with one glowing red eye. It was the same giant mechanical being Yuya was seeing all over the city appeared once again as it stood up.

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, "Fusion?" It was the same summoning method that Sora used. And that summoning method was used to summon that giant monster.

However, his thoughts were interrupted again when he heard what sounded like a screeching bird cry. He looked upwards toward where the sound was coming from and, for a split second, saw a black mechanical falcon flying in the air above him before disappearing. A person with a blue-purple coat jumped down from where the falcon was and landed in front of Yuya, next to those three uniformed duelists.

Yuya got a good look at this person. He looked around a couple years older than he was, maybe around Mikleo and Reiji's age. He had blueish-black hair with light green bangs in the shape of a wing on the left side of his face. He also wore a red scarf over the bottom half of his face while having sunglasses cover his eyes.

Yuya's eyes narrowed in confusion, "Who's that?"

The three uniformed men were caught off guard but then smirked as they readied their duel disks. The man with the sunglasses glared as he activated his duel disk, "Let's go, Fusion!"

Yuya could only watch in wonder and confusion as this guy was taking all three of those men all by himself.

Shun held up a card in his hand, "I summon Raid Raptors - Vanishing Lanius ( **ATK: 1300** , DEF: 1600, LV: 4)!" He brought out a green and blue mechanical bird with a blue orb as an eye.

Shun then showed the same card, "Once per turn, when this card is successfully summoned this turn, I can Special Summon another "Raid Raptors" from my hand! I summon another Vanishing Lanius ( **ATK: 1300** )!" A second Vanishing Lanius was summoned next to the first.

"And due to the other Vanishing Lanius' effect, I summon Raid Raptors - Avenge Vulture ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 100, LV: 4) from my hand!" Shun brought out a third mechanical bird monster that was brown and golden with one red eye and a black metal part on the bottom of it.

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, " _3 Level 4 monsters…"_ If this guy was about to do what he think it is, he then knew what was about to happen next.

Shun held out his hand, "I overlay my three Level 4 monsters!" All of Shun's monsters turned into dark energy that surrounded into a portal as he continued, "Xyz Summon! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon!"

A falcon that was much larger than Shun's previous monsters appeared on the field as shadows were cast on it so Yuya couldn't see exactly what it looked like. It let out loud screeches while it unleashed massive shockwaves from its body, causing the entire area to be pushed back as the uniformed duelists were pushed back in the air.

Yuya was holding on for dear life as he guarded with his arms. He tried to see exactly what happening, " _What is going on? How is that monster causing these shockwaves?!"_ This is reminding him of his duel with Chihaya.

However, before he could process it further, he felt his own feet lifting off the ground and he screamed as he flew backwards away from the area. He was then blinded by a bright light as he couldn't see anymore.

 _End of Dreamscape_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

Yuya sat up straight from his bed with a shocked and horrified expression on his face. His pendant dimmed out again as Yuya woke up. Yuya was breathing a little heavily as he had the same dream from before.

Once he calmed down, he was then more confused, "It was the same dream but...also different in a way." He looked at his lap as he processed what he saw: those duelists were still causing destruction among that unknown city and he saw that they summoning those giants with Fusion Summoning. Yuya's eyes narrowed his eyes, " _They used Fusion Summoning. And that man..."_ He wondered who he was but he saw that he used Xyz Summoning.

However, he was caught off guard when heard barking right in front of him as Ang, who looked like he was desperate to wake him. Yuya blinked his eyes in confusion before he turned to his alarm clock and saw what time it is, "Ah, crap! I need to get ready!" He overslept a little bit but if he hurries he can make it in time.

Yuya quickly got dressed and then grabbed his deck as he ran out of the house towards Unno Divination School.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION**

Himika stood in front of Reiji's desk while he sat in it with his chin on top of his hands. Reiji looked down at his desk, "These are…" On the desk were two Monster Cards, but the images on them showed Professor Marco and the elite officer Tio as they both had horrified expressions on their faces.

Himika looked at her son, "They were sent to the school anonymously this morning."

Reiji narrowed his eyes, "Marco and Tio...?" To his recollection, Tio was one of the officers assigned to search for Marco's whereabouts. Now, he is seeing both him and Marco sealed in these cards.

Himika seemed a little confused, "Why are there cards of two of our LDS' top duelists? What is the perpetrator thinking by doing this…?"

Reiji raised his head to look at his mother, "Around a couple days ago, there was another powerful Xyz Summoning reading picked up. Shortly after, we received a report that Tio had gone missing as well…" He then turned his eyes to the cards again, "But I must admit, I didn't expect to see them sealed inside of a card."

Himika had a shocked expression on her face when she heard that, "Sealed, you say? That can't be! There is no way that's-! Then, are they inside of these cards?"

Reiji replied, "I believe they're still alive. Although, this is the first time I've witnessed this in reality." He then picked up Tio's card, "But I can't say for certain without investigating."

Himika had a troubled expression on her face, "Is there a way to save them?" Reiji placed Tio's card back on his desk, "Not with our current capabilities. But one thing does puzzle me about this." Himika looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

Reiji narrowed his eyes, "There have been three _noteworthy_ incidents. The first victim was Shingo Sawatari. But he wasn't sealed away in a card like the other two confirmed victims, Marco and Tio. These two differing facts may lead to the possibility that there are two culprits." To him, it wouldn't make much sense if Shingo was attacked by the same person but wasn't carded like the others which makes him believe there's another person responsible for this.

Himika was shocked when she heard that, "What did you say?"

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNNO DIVINATION SCHOOL**

Inside of the building, all of the students, who all wore robes over their eyes and body, as well as Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi were in the audience, sitting and waiting for the duel to begin.

Mieru stood down at the duel while she was excited over her prediction last night, "Soon my fated person will be coming here, won't he?" She was then dreaming, "I wonder what kind of person he is. A super cool elite duelist?! Or maybe a wild, buff one?! Or he might even be a kind one with family values!"

Mieru screamed in excitement as she held out her arms, "Hurry up and get here, my fated person!"

Meanwhile, Yuya was running around a corner towards the dueling location. He stopped when he saw Ruri waving at him, "Yuya!"

Yuya was a little surprised to see her, "Ruri!" He then walked up to her with a smile, "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to cheering Rin on in her duel today."

Ruri sheepishly smiled, "Yeah, but I felt a little bad that I might not be able to cheer you on so I decided to come watch your duels instead. When I asked her, Rin didn't seem to mind me wanting to come and cheer you on."

Although what she said was the truth, another reason she decided to do this was because she didn't want a repeat of what happened last time when she had no choice but to duel Sora. If she tries looking for Yuto alone or somehow gets separated from Rin, Sora might also be waiting to duel her again and the last thing she needed was more conflict between them. At least in this way, they can't suspect anything and she can cheer on her friends in the meantime. Unfortunately, she reluctantly decided to wait and look for Yuto later at least until the Maiami Championship begins.

Yuya had a small smile on his face, "Thank you, Ruri." Ruri nodded in response. Yuya then turned to see the building in front of them as he held the paper with the address, "So, this should be the place, right?" It appeared be what looked like an old castle from a horror film.

Ruri looked a little unnerved, "It's a little creepy." She didn't really know what to expect but seeing this creepy place is a little unsettling for her. Luckily, she's not really scared just a little weirded out by this place.

Yuya and Ruri walked over to the gate and stopped a few feet. Yuya looked at the sign above them in curiosity, "Unno Divination School? This should be the place I'm supposed to meet Nico." Ruri walked closer to Yuya as she surveyed around the place, trying to think of what to make of this place.

However, the next moment a cloaked person appeared in front of them, "Hello, Yuya!" Yuya and Ruri took a step back in shock before Yuya saw it was Nico dressed like that, "Oh, it's just you Nico." Once she calmed down, Ruri was curious, "Why are you dressed like that?"

Nico turned his head as he smiled, "Oh, I see Ruri has come along as well." He then turned around, "Well, never mind that. Follow me." He opened the gate and walked towards the building. Yuya and Ruri were confused as they turned and looked at each other for a few seconds before they followed Nico into the building.

However, unbeknownst to them, one of the Duel Hunters, Daiki, was watching them from behind a corner as he saw them enter the building. He smirked as he finally found Yuya Sakaki. He then pressed some buttons on his duel disk and called someone which didn't show an image, only sound waves, "Yo, Kylian! I found Yuya Sakaki. He's at the Unno Divination School right now."

Kylian, through the duel disk, replied, "I'm on my way. And do not engage him. I want to be the only one present there." He doesn't anyone interfering with his business; he just wants to see how good this Yuya this before deciding to face him.

Daiki nodded as he smirked, "Roger that." With his business done, he quickly ran out of the scene and out of sight away from the school.

They were then inside the building as Nico led them all downstairs while Yuya and Ruri followed him. Yuya looked around the stairway, "Why are these stairs so dark?"

Nico looked over his shoulder towards Yuya and Ruri, "Yuya, Ruri, be sure to watch your step."

Yuya looked at Nico, "Yeah, I know…" However, as soon as he said that, Yuya accidently placed his foot on the edge of the next step and slipped off of it, causing him to yell in surprise as he fell forward.

Ruri's eyes widened in surprise before she reached out, "Yuya!" With quick thinking, she managed to catch Yuya by his left arm with her arms as he stopped leaning forward. His feet were placed back on the steps as he regained his balance.

Yuya was taken aback before he sighed in relief. He's glad that he didn't managed to fall. Yuya turned his head to Ruri as he smiled in gratitude, "Thanks, Ruri." He's thankful Ruri was able to help him.

Ruri smiled sweetly, "Don't mention it. Just be careful, okay?" Yuya nodded his head in response.

For some reason, they stared at each other for a few more seconds in gratitude before Nico interrupted, "I said to watch your step, Yuya." Yuya and Ruri as they saw Nico looking at them with a smile, "But, on the bright side, you managed to get closer to your friend right there." He said that with a teasing tone as he was implying something.

Yuya and Ruri blinked their eyes before turning their heads toward each other and noticed that they were really close to each other because of that accident. They looked at each other for a few seconds before their eyes widened in shock as they realized what Nico was implying. Ruri quickly let go of Yuya and Yuya stepped back a couple inches as they both blush a little in embarrassment.

Yuya looked at Nico as he tried to stay calm, "I-It's not like that, Nico!" Ruri didn't say anything in response as she was too embarrassed.

Nico chuckled a little before he gestured that they continued walking down the stairs. Nico walked a little faster down the stairs as Yuya and Ruri slowly followed behind. They didn't say anything else as their faces returned to normal.

After a few seconds, all three of them arrived at the arena. Ruri waved at the kids as they saw that she and Yuya were finally here. The kids waved back which made Ruri smile. Ruri turned to Yuya, "Good luck, Yuya." Yuya nodded as Ruri walked over to where the kids were sitting.

Mieru's dazed expression then turned into confusion as she saw a boy with green and red hair and heterochromatic eyes at the top of the stairs. She imagined he was the one she is dueling but is that really her fated person? She will admit he is kinda cute but honestly expected a little more. Mieru narrowed her eyes, " _Is he really my fated person?"_

However, she then gasped in shock, " _But wait a minute...Up until now, I've predicted everything with fortune-telling. Whenever I got lost, during my tests, and even today's weather."_ She was then lost in thought, " _My fortune-telling has never once been wrong. Then does that mean this time, too…?"_

However, her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Yuya speak, "Uh, excuse me?"

Mieru turned to Yuya with narrowed eyes, "What do you want?"

Yuya gestured his left hand with a smile on his hand, "Well, I was just wondering if we can get on with the duel."

Mieru huffed before nodding her head, "...Fine, let's do it." She then pointed at Yuya, "I'm going to use this duel to divine whether you're my fated person or not!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes in confusion, " _Fated person? What is she talking about?"_ He had no idea what this girl was saying. As the lights flicker, he shook his head, " _Whatever. I'll worry about that later. I just need to focus on winning this duel."_

Nico, who was still cloaked, held up a mike as the spotlight shined on him, "Everyone, thank you for waiting patiently! The official match between the surprising You Show Duelist, Yuya Sakaki, and the Infallible Fortune-Telling Girl, Mieru Hochun, will now begin!" He then threw off his cloak and held up his arm.

As the audience applauded, Nico turned towards a cloaked woman, "With that said, Unno Divination School's principal, if you would!"

The spotlight then fell on Principal Naruko Unno, who was a woman that had a purple cloak covering the lower part of her face. She had her arms crossed in front of herself as she smiled, "Fate is predetermined. But people passing through the ages are unable to accept this. Fortune-telling is a light meant to guide them. That in itself is a microcosmos of life."

Naruko snapped her fingers, "Solid Vision on! Fortune Teller!" The Solid Vision system activated and formed a field of a large room with floating platforms and orbs in the air and pillars with images of different tarot cards carved in to them, also many stairs that led to different doors.

Futoshi pointed at the pillars, "There's something carved into those pillars!"

Tatsuya looked at the images before he recognized them, "Death, The Magician, The Hanged Man...They're engraving of tarot cards!"

Ayu smiled at the sight, "It makes it look so...mystical!"

Ruri giggled a little from Ayu's excitement before looking around the area, "It does look like a very nice place for a duel."

Yuya looked around the field as well in curiosity, "So this is the place we'll be dueling…" He will admit it is very nice and mysterious in comparison to what was on the outside of the building.

Mieru looked at Yuya, which made him turn to her, "That's right! I'm going to determine if you are my fated person with my infallible Divination Duel."

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "You keep saying "fated person" and I don't know what…"

However, he was interrupted by Mieru as she held up her arm, "We're starting!" She held up her crystal apple before she activated her duel disk.

Yuya was sweatdropping a little before he shook his head. He then activated his duel disk as they were both ready to start. Everyone in the audience shouted, "Duel!" Action Cards were then scattered across the area.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **MIERU LP: 4000**

Both Yuya and Mieru shouted that as well as they drew their five cards.

Mieru held up a coin in her hand with a smile on her face, "Shall we determine who goes first with a coin toss?" Yuya raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she showed two sides of the coin, "Heads is a dragon, tails is a demon. If you choose correctly, I'll allow you to go first."

She then flipped the coin in the air and Yuya watched it rise up in the air before descending down on Mieru's hand. She covered it and looked at Yuya, "Now, which is it?"

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he wasn't sure. He didn't really mind who went first but he figured he'll give it a shot. Yuya thought about it for a second before he looked at Mieru, "I choose the dragon."

Mieru sighed as she showed the coin, "Too bad, it's the demon." Yuya sighed a little as he guessed wrong. Mieru gave Yuya a pitiful expression on her face, "As I suspected, you're just a pitiful man who has no foresight."

Yuya was taken aback before he narrowed his eyes again, "I just guessed wrong on a 50/50 chance. Isn't it a little harsh to call me pitiful because of that?"

Mieru smiled at him, "I'll be going first with my ability to see what lies ahead!" She drew her card, "I draw!" She then jumped up onto a floating orb and sat on it as she grabbed another card in her hand, "I set a monster in face-down Defense Position." A monster card appeared on Mieru's field face-down.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "Face-down Defense Position…" He has had a couple duels with face-down monsters and he knows it is a little tricky to know exactly what the opponent plans to do with them.

Ayu looked a little troubled, "Not knowing what's going to be summoned is creepy…" Tatsuya and Futoshi nodded their heads, wondering what Mieru could be hiding.

Ruri, however, turned to the kids with a smile, "Well, that may be true…" The kids turned to Ruri in confusion as she continued, "But there are also certain disadvantages by doing that like you mostly can't activate its effect until it's face-up." She has some experience with face-down monsters especially with one of her friends back in Heartland. Hearing that, Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi turned back to the duel in curiosity.

Mieru looked at Yuya, "I end my turn with that."

Yuya was confused, "That's it? You're ending it just like that?" He honestly thought she would do a little more than that.

However, Mieru chuckled as she held up her hand, "When this card is revealed, your fate as well as mine will be made clear."

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "My _fate_? What are you talking about?"

Mieru looked at Yuya, "You'll understand soon enough." She then held out her right hand to him, "Now it's your turn, but you can't see what lies ahead."

Yuya sighed a little, "You don't know what you're saying." He then jumped onto a platform, "It's my turn."

Mieru looked at him with a smile across her face while holding her cheek in her right hand, "You have something you're worrying about, don't you?"

As he landed on another platform, he looked at her confused, "What? How would you know about that?"

Mieru replied, "Just now, in the coin toss, you chose the dragon. That is an expression of you desiring either an answer or a strong power to break you out of your current situation."

Yuya was surprised at what she said but then she continued as the orb she sat on floated upwards, making her equal height with Yuya, "Right now, you are at a standstill, unable to see where you can move forward."

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he looked at the ground. He will admit he has been bothered by everything that happened these past couple of days with Yuto and Ruri. There are a lot of questions him and his friends don't have answers to. If you combine that with trying to see if there's more to Pendulum Summoning than just summoning multiple monsters at once, it just leaves him more confused than ever. He wants answers but he doesn't know how to get them.

He raised his head as he placed his fingers on his deck, "I draw!" He drew his card and looked to see it was _Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon_ , " _Alright, I got Odd-Eyes."_

He then looked at the rest of his hand which was _Cross Damage_ , _Entermate Partnaga_ , _Entermate Kuribohrder_ , _Odd-Eyes Swordsman_ , and _Entermate Springoose_. He narrowed his eyes as he noticed he can't Pendulum Summon any of these monsters right now. He could summon Kuriborder for defense but he doesn't know if he wants to use it right now.

He then looked at _Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon_ , " _Maybe I could use Odd-Eyes' Pendulum Effect…"_ With its effect, he can add a Pendulum Monster with 1500 or less ATK from his Deck during his End Phase. However, he's not sure if he should do that either since there might be risks involved.

After thinking for a few seconds, he reluctantly just placed Odd-Eyes in his hand and then placed a different card in his duel disk, "...I set a card and end my turn."

Mieru chuckled in response, "I knew it."

Futoshi looked shocked, "Huh?! He set a face-down but he didn't even summon a monster!"

Ayu looked a little worried, "What's wrong with Big Bro Yuya?"

Tatsuya was a little conflicted, "Maybe he couldn't do anything else?"

Ruri frowned in concern as Yuya seemed a little hesitate for some reason. She wondered what could be the matter and hoped Yuya would be alright during this duel.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN LOCATION**

In a skating arena, a blonde-haired girl wearing pink skates and a brown jumpsuit skated around the area while having her duel disk activated.

Rin pointed at her Flake Bell, "I activate Flake Bell's effect! Finish this!" Flake Bell generated ice crystals and launched them toward Rin's opponent. She was taken aback before being pelted by the crystals which caused her to launch backwards in the air and land on the skating rink.

The girl was dazed as her life dropped to zero, "You have a good style…" She then passed out a little from the attack.

 **RIN: WIN  
** **?: LOSE**

Rin sighed a little before she smiled, "Well, that was an interesting duel." She then turned to her runner, "But, I'd better get going."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNNO DIVINATION SCHOOL**

Mieru placed her fingers on her deck, "My turn, draw!" She smiled as she grabbed her face-down card, "I Flip Summon my previously set monster! Prediction Princess Coinorma ( **ATK: 800** , DEF: 1400, LV: 3)!" The monster card flipped face-up and a small girl wearing a green hat with coins attached it, along with two red braids of hair, appeared on the field while holding onto a large coin.

Mieru looked at Yuya, "At this moment, Coinorma's Flip Effect activates!" Yuya narrowed his eyes as he figured it had to be a monster with a flip effect.

Ayu looked confused, "Flip Effect?" Futoshi was just as confused as her.

Tatsuya looked at two of them, "It's an effect that activates when a monster is flipped face-up. Monsters who have that kind of effect are called Flip Monsters."

Ruri then spoke up which made the kids look at her, "In most cases, the monster can only be flipped face-up by an effect, Flip Summoning it, or if it's attacked and forced to flip face-up." Ayu and Futoshi looked amazed as they heard all of this and then turned their heads toward Mieru, wondering what she might do.

Mieru looked at Yuya with a smile, "When Coinorma is Flipped, I can set a Level 3 or higher Flip Monster from my hand or Deck." She then took a card from his deck, "And so, I'll set this card as well!" She placed it in face-down Defense Position as the set card appeared nearby Coinorma.

Yuya looked at the set card, "Another set monster…" Without knowing exactly what monsters to deal with, this might be a little more tricky.

Mieru looked at Yuya, "Let's have Coinorma predict your future as you wander aimlessly." Yuya looked at Mieru curiously as Coinorma spun the coin in her hands and tossed it up into the air. The coin flipped around a few times before it turned into three coins with a different symbol on one of them, "Heads, Tails, Tails. That means you will soon have to make a fateful decision."

Tatsuya looked troubled, "This is bad! Big Bro Yuya has no monsters on his field!"

Futoshi looked concerned at Yuya, "Unless his face-down can help, he's going to take a direct attack!"

Ayu was also concerned, "If only he had a card he can use right now…"

Mieru then held out her arm, "Battle! I make a direct attack with Coinorma!" Coinorma flew towards Yuya as she was surrounded in a pink glow.

Yuya gritted his teeth before he looked at his current hand. He narrowed his eyes, " _I can either use Kuribohrder or my face-down…"_ He needed to choose right away or else he'll take the attack with no chance to respond back.

Mieru looked at Yuya with a knowing smile as she held her cheek in her hand again, "That look on your face tells me that you have a chance to counter this attack but you have two options so you can probably only pick one of them. That is your fateful decision!"

Yuya gritted his teeth as he looked at the two cards back and forth. He then made a decision. He raised his head as he pressed a button, "I activate the Trap Card: Cross Damage! When I take damage from this attack, you take the same amount also!"

Coinorma was then a few feet away from Yuya before she slammed her coin into his stomach, pushing him back he held his stomach momentarily. Yuya's Trap then unleashed a small blast of energy that hit Mieru, who was taken aback for a second, as the orb shook for a few seconds. She then regained her balance.

 **YUYA LP: 4000** → **3200  
** **MIERU LP: 4000** → **3200**

Mieru simply shrugged her shoulders as she brushed the dirt off her dress, "To think you choose not to guard against that attack. You're either very brave or very foolish."

Yuya got back up as he retorted, "It's only 800 damage and this duel has just begun."

Mieru replied, "Maybe but we'll see if your choice will affect you during my next divination."

Ayu looked troubled, "That divination hit the nail on the head!"

Ruri smiled reassuringly as the kids turned to her, "Don't worry. I'm sure Yuya will find a way to bounce back."

Mieru sat back down as she looked at calmly while Coinorma ran back to her side and she held up a card, "It's not over yet! I Tribute Coinorma in order to set another monster in face-down Defense Position!" Another face-down appeared in Coinorma's place as she vanished from the field.

Yuya looked at Mieru's card, "You tribute a monster just to set a second face-down monster…?" This was definitely a higher level monster so he needed to be careful.

Mieru nodded her head, "That's right. And this card will represent your unknown future." She then grabbed another card and placed it in her duel disk, "I set one card and end my turn."

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he placed his finger on his deck, "Alright, my turn! Draw!" He looked at the card he drew and smirked, "Alright, I can use this."

Yuya showed the card he drew, "I summon Odd-Eyes Cyborg ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 1400, LV: 4, PS: 7) from my hand!" Odd-Eyes Cyborg appeared on the field from a bolt of lightning, looking ready to battle.

Yuya took a closer look at Mieru's field, " _She two set monsters on her field. The one she set by tributing Coinorma I'm sure if its Level 5 or above. I don't think I should take that chance."_ He then got a determined expression on his face, " _I think I'll just have to go for her other face-down."_

Mieru seemed calm as she looked at Yuya with her hand on her cheek. She knew what he was trying to do, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. When foolish ones like yourself attempt to do something, it never ends well."

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "I decide how I want to duel. Don't talk like you know everything about me." He wondered who this girl was to decide what he should and shouldn't do in a duel.

Yuya pointed at Cyborg, "Battle! I attack one of your set monsters with Odd-Eyes Cyborg! At this moment, Cyborg's effect activates! When a monster I control attacks, it inflicts 500 damage to my opponent!" Odd-Eyes Cyborg immediately launched a blast from his metal arm at Mieru.

 **MIERU LP: 3200** → **2700**

Odd-Eyes Cyborg then jumped straight towards Mieru's left set card. However, Mieru was smiling before she snapped her fingers, "I activate the Trap Card: Glare of the Black Cat!" The trap card flipped face-up and thirteen black cats came out of the card. They flew towards Cyborg and glared at Yuya.

Ayu looked troubled as she saw the cats, "He got glared by black cats, that's bad luck!"

Futoshi was also troubled as he closed his eyes, "And by thirteen of them too!"

The kids and Ruri gasped in shock as they saw Cyborg stopped in the middle of his charge and fell down. Mieru chuckled as she placed her hand on her cheek again, "When I have two or more monsters in Defense Position, Glare of the Black Cat ends my opponent's Battle Phase!"

Yuya gritted his teeth, "Great…" However, the next moment, he tripped and fell down on one knee as he grunted in pain, "What the…? I tripped over nothing!"

Mieru smiled as she shrugged her shoulders, "See? I told you that it would never end well."

Yuya got back up and looked at her, "What are you talking about? All I did was fall over." Mieru repiled, "But you had all of these black cats glare at you. You must be unlucky as well!"

Yuya gritted his teeth in response before he looked at his hand to see if he had any other options. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Odd-Eyes in his hand before he made a decision.

Yuya held up Odd-Eyes' card, "I set the Scale 4 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon in my Pendulum Zone!" Yuya placed the card on his duel disk and Odd-Eyes appeared inside one of the pillars of light.

Mieru looked on in curiosity, " _That must be this Pendulum Summoning I've heard about."_

Yuya looked at Mieru, "I end my turn with that."

The kids were surprised by what Yuya just did. Futoshi was confused, "Huh? He didn't even Pendulum Summon?" Ayu was lost as well, "Why did he only put Odd-Eyes in his Pendulum Zone?"

Ruri narrowed her eyes, "...Maybe because of an effect." Although she doesn't know what Odd-Eyes' Pendulum Effect is, she knows that Yuya wouldn't do it without reason.

Yuya, however, pointed at Odd-Eyes, "At this moment, I activate Odd-Eyes' Pendulum Effect!" Yuya turned his head to Odd-Eyes, "You ready?"

Odd-Eyes nodded his head, " _You bet. I've always wanted to try out more of my new abilities."_ Given the fact that it will help both him and Yuya, he was willing to try it out.

Yuya nodded before turning to Mieru, "During the End Phase, I can destroy Odd-Eyes in my Pendulum Zone." Odd-Eyes roared before destroying itself, "And then, I can add 1 Pendulum Monster from my Deck to my hand that has 1500 or less ATK." He took a card from his deck and showed it, "So, I add Stargazer Magician to my hand." He then showed Odd-Eyes' card, "Pendulum Monsters that are destroyed are sent to the Extra Deck." He placed Odd-Eyes into his Extra Deck.

Tatsuya then realized what Yuya was doing and he smiled, "I see! He destroyed Odd-Eyes so he can add one of his Magicians to Pendulum Summon next turn!"

Mieru, however, just smiled and shook her head, "To think you'd ignore my good advice and do something so meaningless…" She then jumped off the orb and hopped onto other platforms until she reached the floor they were at. She turned to Yuya with a frown on her face, "That's enough. As I thought, you aren't my fated person after all! Prepare yourself, Yuya Sakaki, because I'll erase you without a trace!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little again, "There she goes saying whatever she wants again…"

Mieru placed her fingers on her deck, "My turn, draw!" She looked at her hand before she grabbed one of her face-down monsters, "I Flip Summon one of my set monsters!" She then placed the card face-up, "Come forth, Prediction Princess Arrowsylph ( **ATK: 1000** , DEF: 1400, LV: 4)!" The card flipped face-up, revealing an elf with long green hair and a feather placed on the side as she appeared on the field. She was wearing a white dress while carrying a bow in her hand.

"When Arrowsylph is Flip Summoned, I can add 1 Ritual Magic from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand." Mieru took a card from her deck and grabbed it.

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, "Did you say Ritual Magic?" He didn't know that this girl used Ritual Monsters as well. If she can Ritual Summon as well, this might be more tricky than he thought.

She nodded her head as she revealed the card, "That's right and the card I chose to add to my hand is Holy Divination Ritual!"

Mieru grabbed her other face-down monster, "Following that, I Flip Summon the monster I set using Coinorma as a Tribute!" She placed the card face-up, "Come forth, Prediction Princess Crystaldine ( **ATK: 1400** , DEF: 2200, LV: 5)!" A woman wearing a blue, wavy dress and beret with a crystal orb in front of her appeared as well.

Mieru gestured towards her deck, "When Crystaldine is Flip Summoned, I can add 1 Ritual Monster to my hand from my Deck or Graveyard." She then revealed the card she just added to her hand, "The Ritual Monster I added to my hand is Holy Prediction Princess Tarotrei!"

Tatsuya got a troubled expression on his face, "This is bad. Since she added a Ritual Magic and a Ritual Monster…" Futoshi looked at him, "Then that means…" Ayu finished his sentence, "She's going to Ritual Summon!" They all remember how Yuya and Yuzu performed Ritual Summoning so they can see what Mieru was planning.

Ruri frowned a little, "I wonder how powerful it will be though…" She was now more concerned for Yuya since it was revealed that this girl can Ritual Summon.

Mieru looked at Yuya, "I'll have Crystaldine predict your fortune." The crystal ball that Crystaldine was holding glowed and it showed an image of Yuya as dark clouds surrounded him, "I see it...Dark clouds of an enormous power are enveloping you…"

She then held up her Ritual Magic, "I activate the Ritual Magic: Holy Divination Ritual from my hand!" Dark purple crystals appeared from the card and stuck to the ground before an altar with nine blue and golden crystal landed in the middle of the field where the dark crystals were.

Mieru pointed at her monsters, "Using this effect, I Tribute the Level 4 Arrowsylph and the Level 5 Crystaldine!" Both of her monsters turned into flames that went into the spaces between the crystal, "So that I can Ritual Summon the Level 9 Tarotrei!"

A large red pillar of light then surrounded the altar as Mieru chanted, "Omnipotent priest of ancient times! With these secret arts of the ages, be revived! Ritual Summon! Level 9! Holy Prediction Princess Tarotrei ( **ATK: 2700** , DEF: 1200, LV: 9)!" A large monster appeared on the field that was wearing a dark purple dress with a purple band going around its body, a black cloak, and two circles of lights on the front of its dress, one big and one small that overlapped with each other. It had two normal arms, four skeleton arms, and a black mask over its face.

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he looked at her monster, "So this is her Ritual Monster…" Honestly, he was impressed by it as it did look strong and wondered what abilities it had.

Mieru then pointed at her monster, "Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Cyborg with Tarotrei!" The two circles of light on Tarotrei's stomach became one; soon after, she unleashed an orb of light with energy cards shooting Cyborg, destroying it. Yuya guarded his arms crossed together before he was pushed back onto another platform.

 **YUYA LP: 3200** → **2200**

The kids and Ruri gasped in worry as Tatsuya yelled, "Big Bro Yuya!"

Mieru grabbed a card in her hand and placed it face-down on her duel disk, "I Set one monster and end my turn." A monster in face-down Defense Position appeared next to Tarotrei.

Yuya got back up on his feet and look at Mieru with a smile, "Not bad, this is actually getting more fun." He narrowed his eyes, " _I can't falter now. I have to win this in order to qualify."_

However, unbeknownst to everyone, Kylian just arrived from the entrance Yuya came from and went into the sidelines to see the duel for himself. No one noticed him as he saw who was dueling. He narrowed his eyes at the boy with red and green hair, " _So that's Yuya Sakaki…"_ From what his men told him, that boy fits the description. Now that he's finally found him, he's curious as to how good he actually is.

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "It's my turn, draw!" He drew the card and saw that it was Timegazer Magician. He smiled at what he saw, " _Alright, now I can do it."_

He turned his head toward Mieru, who used her cards to fan her face while she had a confident smile on her face, "I don't know what you're trying to prove with those divinations…" Mieru then looked shocked and confused when he said that before he pointed at her, "But it's not going to stop me!"

The kids smiled excitedly, "Big Bro Yuya!" They were happy to see Yuya still acting with confidence even when so many things went wrong.

Ruri gave a sweet smile, " _Thank goodness he didn't falter there…"_ She was a little worried he might be caught off guard by this girl's divination but he's still the same.

Yuya then took two cards from his hand and showed them, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician!" He placed the cards on his duel disk; Timegazer and Stargazer appeared in their Pendulum Zones.

Yuya looked at his magicians, "With this, I'm able to simultaneously summon monsters from Levels 2 to 7!" The giant pendulum appeared as Yuya chanted, "Swing, my soul's Pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monsters!" Five monsters appeared from the portal, "From the Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7, PS: 4) and Odd-Eyes Cyborg ( **ATK: 1700** )! From my hand, Entermate Partnaga (ATK: 500, **DEF: 2100** , LV: 5, PS: 3), Odd-Eyes Swordsman ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1200, LV: 5, PS: 3) and Entermate Springoose (ATK: 1100, **DEF: 2400** , LV: 5)!" Odd-Eyes, Cyborg, Partnaga, and Swordsman all appeared on Yuya's field. The fifth one that appeared was a goose that was wearing a blue suit and top hat along with a spring coil wrapped around its waist.

Kylian could watch on in surprise and confusion as to what Yuya just did. He just summoned five monsters at once through some summoning method. This must be the "Pendulum Summoning" he's heard about as well. He smirked in intriguement, "Heh...interesting." Now, he's even more curious about this guy especially with this surprise.

Futoshi smiled happily as he saw this, "A full field summon, shivers!" He then danced a little after saying that last part.

Ayu cheered as she raised her fist, "Now here comes the comeback!"

However, Mieru chuckled a little as she looked at Yuya's monsters, "How ominous…"

Yuya narrowed his eyes, confused as to why she seems so calm about this, "What is it now?"

Mieru smirked in response, "If you don't know, then let me read your future with the position of your cards."

Yuya turned his head to his duel disk in confusion, "From the position of my cards?"

She pointed at Odd-Eyes, "...I sense that your dragon in the center has an aura of uncertainty emanating from it." Odd-Eyes and Yuya gasped in surprise at what they just heard.

Yuya turned his head to his partner, "Odd-Eyes?" He was confused by what he heard and wondered what she meant by _uncertainty_. Did she mean that for the both of them or just himself? Odd-Eyes didn't say anything except for sighing a little as he lowered his head in response.

However, Mieru continued as she looked at Swordsman, "The swordsman is a sign that you will fight any challenge and support your allies. In fact, I can sense that with all of your monsters."

She then looked at Springoose, "The bird reflect your feelings of wanting to improve even further."

She turned her head to Cyborg and Partnaga, "However, the cyborg shows that you will face hardships in the future and the snake shows that they are clever hardships at that." Yuya narrowed his eyes as he processed all of this.

Mieru then turned her head to Yuya, "However, I can see that a large failure awaits you, and then your future becomes in engulfed by darkness!"

Yuya's eyes narrowed in confusion, "A large failure…?" He doesn't know if he actually believes that but he will admit she has been correct a couple times during their duel. If it is true, what failure is she talking about? The Maiami Championship?

Tatsuya saw the confusion on Yuya's face and got worried, "Big Bro Yuya! You shouldn't listen to her divinations!"

Ayu turned to Tatsuya troubled, "But she's been right on everything up until now!" Tatsuya then looked conflicted, "Well, uh…" He didn't want to believe that someone could actually see into the future but Ayu had a point.

Futoshi then had a frightened expression on his face, "This occult stuff is giving me the shivers!"

Ruri narrowed her eyes as she was skeptical if what this girl was saying was true or not. She doesn't know if she believes in fortune-telling but she does believe in her friend. She turned to Yuya in concern, " _Yuya…"_

Yuya had to think about it for a few seconds before he closed his eyes, "If that is my future, then…" He then opened them, showing he had a determined expression on his face, "I will change it!"

The kids and Ruri smiled in relief as Yuya wasn't fazed by what Mieru just said.

However, Mieru chuckled in response before lowering her eyes with a smile, "That's just a fool's way of thinking. Fate is already predetermined." From her whole life, she relied on fortune-telling what the future holds for everyone and everything is predetermined according to fate.

Yuya pointed at Odd-Eyes, "We'll see about that. I activate Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's monster effect!" Odd-Eyes roared in response, " _I ask that you lend your power to me once again, my friends!"_ He was referring to the magicians to which both Stargazer and Timegazer nodded their heads in response before holding out their hands and transferring some of their power to Odd-Eyes.

Yuya smiled at Mieru, "When Odd-Eyes is Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, until the End Phase, all of my opponent's monsters lose 100 ATK times the difference between my current Pendulum Scales. Stargazer is 1, Timegazer is 8. So, Tarotrei now loses 700 ATK! Scale Force!" Odd-Eyes glowed blue before unleashed a blue stream of energy from his chest, hitting Tarotrei and weakening her.

 **Holy Prediction Princess Tarotrei** ( **ATK: 2700** → **2000** )

" _Yuya."_ Yuya turned to see Odd-Eyes who was looking back at him, " _Listen, I…"_ He was hesitant on what he was trying to say. He was wanting to talk to Yuya about this for awhile but didn't know how or what to say about it.

Yuya, having a feeling about what Odd-Eyes was going speak about, smiled knowingly, "I know. But we'll talk later after this duel." He then raised a fist in excitement, "Besides, we can handle anything together, right?" He wondered if this "uncertainty" is something his friend wanted to speak about but he decided they'll get to it later.

Odd-Eyes smiled as he nodded, " _...Sure. You said it."_ He then turned his attention back to Tarotrei in determination.

Yuya smirked before he pointed at Partnaga, "Now, I activate Entermate Partnaga's monster effect! When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can target one monster I control and it gains 300 ATK for each "Entermate" I control!" Partnaga grabbed Odd-Eyes with its tail while wrapping its body around Springoose, "Since I have two on my field, Odd-Eyes gains 600 ATK." Partnaga transferred their power to Odd-Eyes as his body glowed momentarily.

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 2500** → **3100** )

Yuya then pointed at Tarotrei, "Battle! I attack Tarotrei with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Odd-Eyes roared before starting to charge its power to attack.

Mieru, however, narrowed her eyes and held out her hand, "Tarotrei's effect activates! Once, during my opponent's turn, this card can flip all face-down monsters into Attack Position! Full Rebirth!" Tarotrei glowed purple before it separated its skeleton arms from her body momentarily as they grabbed the face-down card and flipped it face-up.

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, "What? A Flip Summon during my turn?" He knows that can technically happen when he attacks a face-down monster but seeing an effect like this is unusual.

Mieru nodded her head, "That's right. So, awaken! Prediction Princess Petalelf ( **ATK: 800** , DEF: 700, LV: 2)!" A flower appeared on the field which then opened up and an elf came out of it as the flower became its dress.

Mieru winked at Yuya with her left eye, "When this card is Flip Summoned, it changes all of my opponent's monsters into Defense Position!" Petalelf sent a storm of petals toward Yuya's field and surrounded Yuya's monsters.

Yuya's eyes widened in shock as he could only watch as the petal surrounded his field. Odd-Eyes grunted as he was forced to cancel his attack and lowered his head. Everyone else in Attack Position was forced to sit down and guard themselves.

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 3100** → **DEF:** **2000** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 2000** → **DEF: 1200** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Cyborg** ( **ATK: 1700** → **DEF:** **1400** )

Mieru then held up a finger, "And my opponent cannot change their battle positions for the rest of the turn!" Yuya gritted his teeth as he was forced to end his Battle Phase.

Mieru looked at Tarotrei, "Now, let's have Tarotrei fortune-tell what future you have in store." The two circles on Tarotrei's stomach became one again before it became an orb of light. A tarot card appeared from it with the image of an upright tower as it was hovering over Tarotrei.

Mieru narrowed her eyes, "The card Tarotrei has shown is The Tower in Upright Position." She closed her eyes, "The meaning this card holds is collapsing, falling and disaster." Soon after she said that, she saw an image of Yuya standing on top of a tower before a lightning bolt struck it, collapsing the tower as Yuya fell down.

She opened her eyes and looked at Yuya, "Just stop fighting!" Yuya was confused while she looked at him with a serious expression on her face, "If you continue with this duel, your life will be at risk!" Yuya's eyes widened in shock when he heard that.

Ayu got a worried expression from what she heard, "His life will be at risk…?"

Tatsuya narrowed his eyes and then got upset, "That's ridiculous! She's just saying nonsense to throw him off!"

Futoshi turned to him, a little troubled, "But, Big Bro Yuya is in a shiver-inducing pinch right now."

Tatsuya looked at the field for a second before he was troubled as well, "Well, it is hard to deny that. All of his Pendulum Summoned monsters have been forced into Defense Position. And because of Petalelf's effect, he can't change their positions this turn. And since he Pendulum Summoned five monsters, he only has one card left in his hand."

Ayu was troubled as well, "He really is in a life or death situation!"

"But even so…" The kids turn to see Ruri looking at Yuya with a faithful expression on her face, "We all have to believe in Yuya. I'm sure he'll find a way out of this." The kids were surprised before looking at each other and nodding in agreement. They then turned back to the duel to see how this duel will play out.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, " _It's true that I don't have many options right now but…"_ He turned his attention to his monsters, " _...as long as I still have LP and my monsters with me, I'll keep fighting."_ He then looked at Mieru confused, " _I wonder what she meant with my life being at risk."_ He doesn't know if she's actually serious or not.

Mieru looked at Yuya and saw that he wasn't backing down, "It seems you're still willing to fight." She then pointed at him, "But if you don't want to be seriously injured, hurry up and surrender!"

Yuya looked back at her in confusion, "What are you talking about, getting seriously injured during a duel?" Although he will admit he got hurt temporarily after his duel with Chihaya and he had to rest for a few hours but that supposedly because of her "curse". This is a normal duel, to his knowledge, and while Solid Vision make attacks more real from Duel Monsters, he knows how to handle himself in these situations so he doesn't see how he could be injured during this one. Thinking he'll be fine, he threw out his hand in defiance, "I end my turn." Since it was the End Phase, Odd-Eyes' effect ends as well so Tarotrei's ATK return to normal.

 **Holy Prediction Princess Tarotrei** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2700** )

Mieru narrowed her eyes as she saw that he was still determined to continue, "So you don't intend on stopping…" He still doesn't believe in her fortune-telling; then, she has no choice but to prove it more to him of what she's seeing.

She then got a serious expression on her face as she placed her fingers on her deck, "My turn, draw!" She then grabbed a card and placed it face-down, "I Set one monster in face-down Defense Position!" Another face-down card appeared next to Mieru's monsters.

Futoshi looked at the face-down, a little worried, "This is not good. She placed another face-down monster." Tatsuya's eyes widened a little, "What monster is it this time?"

Mieru held out her arm toward Tarotrei, "At this moment, I activate Tarotrei's other effect! This card can turn all Flip Monsters on my field into face-down Defense Position! Full Sleep!" Tarotrei glowed purple before raising her human hands and then shockwaves came out of them. These shockwaves hit Petalelf and the monster changed from Attack Position back to face-down Defense Position.

Yuya gritted his teeth in minor frustration as he knew that meant if he tried to attack again, Tarotrei would just flip Petalelf face-up again to stop his monsters from attacking this turn.

Tatsuya narrowed his eyes, "This is bad. All of Big Bro Yuya's monsters have DEF less than 2700 so anyone of them can be destroyed by Tarotrei!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes for a second before deciding to accept it in a calmly manner and closed his eyes, waiting for her to attack. However, he was surprised when he heard Mieru said, "With this, I end my turn." Yuya raised his head in confusion, "What?"

The kids and Ruri were confused as well as Mieru could have easily attacked and destroyed at least one of Yuya's monsters.

Mieru turned her back to Yuya while closing her eyes, "I have no reason to attack you now." She then looked over her shoulder towards Yuya, "After all, your fate has already been decided."

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "My future hasn't been set in stone yet." He then raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "...Besides, I think you couldn't have attacked." Mieru turned to Yuya in confusion as the kids were confused as well.

Ruri, having the same suspicion as Yuya, narrowed her eyes, "It might be Tarotrei's effect…"

Mieru, who was not expecting this, gave off an impressed smile, "You're sharper than you look. When I use Tarotrei's effect to flip my monsters back into face-down Defense Position, she cannot attack during that turn." She then lowered her eyes a little, "But knowing that isn't going to change anything."

Yuya narrowed his eyes before placing his finger on his deck, "My turn, I draw!" He looked at the card and saw that it was a magic card, Draw Muscle, which can't help him right now. He looked the other card which was Kuribohrder, " _Since I can't really do much, I'll just to have attack again even if she activates Petalelf's effect."_

Yuya grabbed three of his cards, "I switch Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Cyborg, and Swordsman back into Attack Position." Odd-Eyes lifted his head back up as Swordsman sheathed his swords and Cyborg stood back up, ready to fight.

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **DEF:** **2000** → **ATK: 3100** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **DEF: 1200** → **ATK: 2000** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Cyborg** ( **DEF:** **1400** → **ATK: 1700** )

Mieru narrowed her eyes, "A futile act! Nothing you do will change your future!" She then held out her hand, "I activate Tarotrei's effect! Once, during my opponent's turn, this card can flip all face-down monsters on my field into face-up Attack Position! Full Rebirth!" Tarotrei's skeleton arms then grabbed both face-down cards and flipped them face-up.

"Awaken! Prediction Princess Petalelf ( **ATK: 800** ) and Prediction Princess Ouijamorrigan ( **ATK: 1300** , DEF: 0, LV: 3)!" Petalelf appeared on the field along with another monster who was wearing a dress with blue braids, carrying a short sword in her hand, and had a face that was like a watch with a completely dark smiling sun on one side and the other had another smiling sun that was only partly dark.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "With that effect, she can freely flip her monsters face-up or face-down and activate their effects during my turn."

Mieru smiled in response, "That's right! This is the power of the holy priestess who governs the fate of the cards, Tarotrei!" She held out her hand to Petalelf, "Next, I activate Prediction Princess Petalelf's effect!"

Petalelf unleashed a storm of pink petals towards Yuya's monsters. Odd-Eyes roared in frustration, " _Not again!"_ Mieru continued, "This card turns all monsters my opponent controls to Defense Position and they cannot change their positions for the rest of the turn!"

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 3100** → **DEF:** **2000** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 2000** → **DEF: 1200** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Cyborg** ( **ATK: 1700** → **DEF:** **1400** )

Yuya gritted his teeth in frustration, "I thought this would happen…" But then again, he didn't really have a choice other than attacking.

Tatsuya narrowed his eyes, "Then, that means Big Bro Yuya won't be able to attack this turn either!"

Mieru then pointed at her other monster, "Furthermore, I activate Prediction Princess Ouijamorrigan's effect! At the end of this turn, it will destroy all Defense Position monsters my opponent controls!" Ouijamorrigan's sword grew larger as Yuya's eyes widened in surprise from what he heard.

Mieru continued, "Then, it will deal 300 points of damage to my opponent for each monster destroyed this way!"

The kids and Ruri were surprised as well. Tatsuya's eyes widened in realization, "Now I get it, the reason she didn't attack earlier was so she can both guard against Big Bro Yuya's attacks while also deal more damage through this effect!"

Mieru looked at Yuya, "My victory was decided ever since I Set my first card on the field."

Yuya looked a little frustrated, "There's no way that can be the case." He refused to believe that he was destined to lose from the very start of this duel.

Mieru narrowed her eyes, "Do not avert your eyes and look at the truth presented at you! The fate of destruction that awaits you!"

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "Fate of destruction…" He will admit that she was right about some things during their duel but this seems a little more extreme. He didn't know what to think.

Mieru's expression then turned serious, "You can still make it. To save yourself from your own destruction, surrender now." Yuya just kept his eyes narrowed, not knowing what to say right now.

Nico was watching Yuya, " _Well, this isn't good. He's being entrapped by a fortune-telling opponent. He needs to break the mold and show me something unexpected or exciting."_

Kylian had his eyes narrowed while crossing his arms together, " _Is this really all he can do?"_ From what he is seeing, he isn't really doing much that's impressing him. He's having some second thoughts about wanting to fight this guy.

Meanwhile, in the sidelines, one of the cloaked students who was holding a crystal ball spoke, "Allowing this duel to continue is dangerous." Another student who was holding chopsticks spoke, "Yes, my divination tells me this as well. We should have them stop as soon as possible!" A third student holding some cards spoke, "You truly cannot stop fate."

Yuya looked at the students who said those things before closing his eyes, " _Even if it is true, I can't back down. No matter what happens, I never back down from a challenge."_ If he were to give up, it would mean going against who he is as a duelist and he can't accept that.

Since his decision was made, he opened his eyes and shook his head in defiance before he looked at Mieru, "I end my turn."

Mieru, seeing how Yuya still was refusing to surrender, glared at him in frustration, "At this moment, Ouijamorrigan's Flip Effect destroy all of your Defense Position monsters!" Ouijamorrigan swung her massive energy sword at all Yuya's monsters, destroying them and leaving Yuya's field empty except for his Pendulum Zones, "And since five monsters were destroyed, you take 300 times 5 which is 1500 points of damage!" Yuya protected himself from the blast using his arms as he grunted a little.

 **YUYA LP: 2200** → **700**

Yuya held up the cards of Odd-Eyes, Swordsman, Cyborg, and Partnaga, "Destroyed Pendulum Monsters are sent to the Extra Deck." He then placed them into his Extra Deck.

Kylian raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Extra Deck?"

Mieru narrowed her eyes at Yuya, "Now, do you understand? Nothing you do will change your fate. I am saying this out of concern for you. If you keep struggling like this, you'll do something that can't be undone!"

Yuya lowered his eyes at his hand for a few seconds before turning back to Mieru, "Listen, I appreciate your concern…" He then looked determined, "But I decide my fate. If even what you're saying is true, I'll still keeping dueling."

Mieru was shocked by what this guy was saying for a second before she sighed, "It doesn't matter what I say, does it?" She placed her fingers on her deck, "It's my turn, draw!"

She then held up her hand towards Tarotrei, "I activate Tarotrei's effect! All Flip Monsters on my field are put in face-down Defense Position! Full Sleep!" Petalelf and Ouijamorrigan had their cards flipped back face-down again.

Yuya gritted his teeth before he looked at his hand, " _She activated Tarotrei's effect so she can't attack with her for the rest of the turn. I only have Kuribohrder and Draw Muscle in my hand. I'll just have to count on what I will draw next and see what happens. Yes, I'll have to..."_

However, his thoughts were interrupted by Mieru, "Didn't I tell you to stop struggling?" Yuya looked up to her surprised as he saw the platform she was on rising up until she was nearby a pillar with a door opening in it. Mieru narrowed her eyes, "Since it is come to this, I have no choice. Allow me to divine the consequences of your actions with this Action Card."

She grabbed the Action Card on the wall and looked at the card. She was surprised for a second when she saw what it was, "This is…" She narrowed her eyes and placed the card in her duel disk, "I activate the Action Magic: Draw Lock! Until the opponent sends an Action Card to their Graveyard, they cannot draw!"

Yuya was surprised as chains and a lock appeared on his duel disk. The chains covered his deck which meant he was unable to draw. He looked at his duel disk, "What? Draw sealing?" He gritted his teeth as he realized he can't draw unless he gets an Action Card.

Mieru looked at Yuya down below her, "The cards themselves are telling you to stop fighting against your destiny. I won't criticize you, just surrender before it is too late."

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he raised his fist, "I never give up on a duel. No matter what happens, I won't back down!" He looked at his duel disk. He wasn't really planning on relying on Action Cards but since he needs to in order to draw, he's got no choice. He then turned and ran to where there were some stair nearby.

Mieru stared at Yuya as he ran, "It's come to this, and he still hasn't given up yet. If this is how it's going to be, then I have to end the duel as soon as possible." She placed two cards in her duel disk, "I set two cards and end my turn!"

Mieru narrowed her eyes, " _The two cards I set are both Reverse Reuse, a Trap that allows me to Special Summon up to 2 Flip Monsters in either face-up or face-down Defense Position to my opponent's field. When I activate these traps, Petalelf and Ouijamorrigan's effects, I can end this duel for sure. I can end it without fulfilling that prophecy!"_ She has three Flip Monsters in her Graveyard. If she uses both of her traps and Ouijamorrigan's effect, with only 700 LP left, she can win this duel.

However, nobody noticed that one of the chains of the chandelier started to loosen and break apart.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Meanwhile, inside a building that had a shogi piece on the roof, Sora pointed at his opponent, "Go! Direct attack!"

His opponent, who was wearing a light brown kimono, yelled as two shogi pieces fell down and crushed him, "...I have been defeated."

 **SORA: WIN  
?: LOSE**

Yuzu was smiling as the Solid Vision was starting to disappear, "Amazing, it was over in an instant."

Sora jumped down from the shogi pieces that were floating as they disappeared, "So I guess this is what they call "checkmate?"" He then rubbed the back of his head in exasperation, "It was kinda fun, but not very satisfying…"

However, Yuzu came up to him with a smile, "Well, at least you only need two more to qualify."

Sora sighed, "Yeah, I guess so." His eyes then widened in realization as he remembered something. He then grabbed Yuzu's arm in excitement as she taken aback for a bit, "Alright, let's go! If we don't hurry, Yuya's duel will be over!" He pulled Yuzu towards out of the building as he wanted to get see Yuya's duel like with what he did with Yuzu's.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNNO DIVINATION SCHOOL**

Yuya was running up a staircase as he said, "It's my turn now."

Mieru looked at him, "Due to the effect of Draw Lock, you can't draw unless you send an Action Card!"

Yuya turned his head left and right, "I already know that!" He can't see any Action Cards right now so that means he needs to be a little more extreme. He looked upwards, "But even so, I won't give up!" He jumped off the staircase to reach the floor above him.

Mieru's eyes widened in shock from seeing this guy's tenacity. She then got concerned, "Stop this already! Continuing this duel will not benefit you in any way!" Yuya was not listening as he was still looking for the card. Mieru yelled, "Give up already! Don't you hear me telling you it's dangerous?!"

The kids were watching in both wonder and worry right now about Yuya's safety. Ruri was watching this in concern, " _Yuya, please be careful."_

Kylian narrowed his eyes in confusion, " _What is he doing?"_ Is this guy really trying so hard just to find an Action Card? Well, he's got stubbornness, he'll give him that. Now, he's back to being curious about him.

After a few seconds, Yuya turned his eyes toward a pillar nearby that had an Action Card floating above it, "There it is!" Yuya ran toward the direction of the pillar as he yelled in determination.

However, the chains holding up the stone circle snapped and it started fall down with pieces from the ceiling. Mieru looked up and her eyes widened in horror as she realized what was happening to the chandelier.

As he ran, Yuya looked up and noticed the chandelier was breaking apart too. He narrowed his eyes as he quickly knew what to do, " _It's risky but I've got no choice! Let's hope your training paid off, brother!"_ He then jumped from platform to platform, getting closer to the Action Card as time goes on. He knew this was going to be a close call but he's determined to finish this his way. His brother trained him in more than just dueling as he's going to use it.

Finally, Yuya jumped forward and managed to grab the card. However, the chandelier then fell down around Yuya and it crashed into the floor, creating a large dust cloud that nobody could see what happened.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock and horror, even Kylian, as they didn't see Yuya anywhere, leading to assume that he was buried underneath that rubble. However, for some reason, Ruri's expression looked more shocked than worried as she was looking upwards. Mieru closed her eyes and turned away, " _I warned him…"_

Ayu covered her face as she started to cry, "No way, Big Bro Yuya, it can't be true…" Tatsuya and Futoshi were starting to cry as well until Tatsuya saw Ruri's face and got confused, "Big Sis Ruri, why aren't you crying?" As they were beginning to cry, they to see Ruri looking confused and upwards for some reason.

Then, Ruri had a happy and relieved smile on her face as she turned to the kids and pointed upwards, "He's okay! Look!" To their confusion, the kids turned to see what Ruri was pointing at before they smiled in happiness and relief at what they saw. Mieru, however, noticed something was and looked upwards to her shock. It was Yuya hanging off a ledge nearby as he held onto it with one hand.

Yuya sighed in relief as he held on, "That was a close one." He then picked himself off the ledge and stood up. He held up the card he managed to get, "I got the Action Magic: Miracle!"

The kids were smiling as they held up their arms in excitement while Tatsuya cried out, "Alright!" Ayu was happy as she said, "You did it, Big Bro Yuya!" Futoshi did a happy dance in his seat, "Shivers!"

Kylian got over his shock and soon had a smirk on his face, "Heh, he's got some moves alright. At least, he's not dead." Though he doesn't know how Yuya survived, Kylian muses that he was a lucky bastard, not that its a bad thing.

Ruri, while still smiling in relief, couldn't help but still be shocked at what she just saw. She was the only person who exactly saw what happened. After Yuya grabbed the card, he quickly landed on the next platform and managed jump from platform to platform while avoiding the rubble falling. He did a front flip and managed to reach up and grabbed the ledge nearby in order to save himself from falling. Ruri's eyes narrowed a little, " _Where did Yuya learn how to move like that?"_ It looked a little similar to how when she saw some Resistance members move like that. She figured that Yuya must have also used some quick thinking in order to get away which amazed her.

Mieru was in complete shock as she looked at Yuya, "It can't be...his fate changed? He overcame his life-threatening crisis with a miracle?" She wasn't sure what to think. This boy managed to actually change his fate, all because he never gave up.

Principal Naruko, who was watching the duel, looked at Yuya, "He opened up the previously closed-off path to his future!"

Yuya looked at the card before raising his head toward Mieru, "I send one Action Card to my Graveyard in order to dispel Draw Lock." He sent Miracle to the Graveyard which caused the chains and lock to disappear from his duel disk.

Yuya looked at his deck, " _Alright, I don't know what her face-down cards are but I'll just have to bet it all on this one draw."_ Yuya closed his eyes, " _Whatever happens, I believe in my deck."_

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "I draw!" He drew his card and looked it. He was a little surprised, " _Polymerization…"_

He narrowed his eyes a little, " _I wonder…"_ However, after a few seconds, his eyes widened in realization as he knew what he can do with the card, " _Wait...That's it! That's how I'll break her combo!"_

He smirked in satisfaction, " _I get it…"_ He stared at Polymerization in curiosity, " _But which monster should I summon? I bet I could bring out Blaster Raccoon and…"_

However, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard something like a roar, " _What? What was that?"_ Then, all of a sudden, he saw the colorful vortex he's seen many times when Fusion Summoning in front of himself.

* * *

 _(Vision)_

Yuya opened his eyes and found himself in a dark area. He looked around, wondering what was happening, before he heard a roar again. Then, he saw a shadow of a large monster that looked like it had a green eye and a ring on his back and head. The creature roared at Yuya, telling him that he wants to be set free so he can win this duel.

 _(Vision End)_

* * *

After seeing that image, Yuya stood up with a smirk on his face. He knew what he wanted to do now and he was going to fulfill his monster's wishes.

Yuya jumped up to a nearby platform and smirked at Mieru, "Now then, Mieru, how about we settle this right now?" Mieru looked at him confused while the kids were excited to see what Yuya could do.

Yuya pointed his magicians, "First, with the already set Pendulum Scale of Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I'm able to summon any monsters between Levels 2 and 7!" Stargazer and Timegazer took a bow before holding out their arms in readiness for their master. The giant pendulum appeared as Yuya chanted, "Swing, my soul's Pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monsters!" Three monsters appeared from the portal, "From the Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 2500** ), Entermate Partnaga ( **DEF: 2100** ), Odd-Eyes Swordsman ( **ATK: 2000** )!" Odd-Eyes, Partnaga, and Swordsman all appeared back on the field.

Ayu smiled as he held up a fist in excitement, "Alright, here comes the counterattack!" Tatsuya, however, was troubled and confused by this, "But, wait a minute. That would just activate Mieru's Flip combo."

Ruri saw the confidence in Yuya, which told her that he had a plan to get out of this. She then smiled, "Somehow, I don't think we should worry about that."

Kylian saw the same look on Yuya's face and smirked in intriguement, " _Heh, well I'm familiar with that look."_ He has that expression all the time whether he has a plan. Now, he is curious as to how Yuya is going to get out of this.

Mieru closed her eyes for a moment before opening them back up and held out her arm, "I activate Tarotrei's effect! Full Rebirth!" Both of her face-down monsters got flipped face-up again as Petalelf ( **ATK: 800** ) and Ouijamorrigan ( **ATK: 1300** ) appeared once again.

Mieru looked at her monster, "With Petalelf's Flip Effect, all of my opponent's monsters are switched to Defense Position!" Petalelf unleashed a storm of flower petal towards Yuya's monsters. Odd-Eyes lowered his head in defense and Swordsman kneeled down with his swords guarding his body.

 **Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon** ( **ATK: 3100** → **DEF:** **2000** )  
 **Odd-Eyes Swordsman** ( **ATK: 2000** → **DEF: 1200** )

Futoshi held up his face in horror, "Not this pattern again!"

The platform Mieru was on lowered itself as she looked at him, "Isn't it great that you avoided your fate of destruction? Now, I can win this duel with a clear conscious. When this turn is over, Ouijamorrigan's effect will destroy all of your Defense Position monsters and inflict 300 damage for each! And since your LP is at 700, this will be the end for you." She then narrowed her eyes at him, "Now you understand, don't you? You cannot win this duel!"

Yuya had a calm expression on his face as he was listening to this before he smirked, "I wonder about that, miss."

Mieru was shocked when she heard that as her cheeks turned red, "M-Miss?!"

Yuya held out his hand, "I activate Entermate Springoose's effect! By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can return two cards on my field to my hand. I return Stargazer and Timegazer to my hand!" As Springoose was then banished which led Timegazer and Stargazer turning back into cards as Yuya added them to his hand again.

Yuya closed his eyes as he saw the image of the creature inside his mind again, " _Just wait, I'm going to free you…"_

Yuya then held up a card from his hand, "Now, I tribute Odd-Eyes Swordsman in order to Tribute Summon Stargazer Magician ( **ATK: 1200** , DEF: 2400, LV: 5, PS: 1)!" As Swordsman vanished from the field, Stargazer appeared back in its place.

Sora, Rin, and Yuzu then arrived from the entrance, just in time as Yuya summoned Stargazer. Sora looked at the field, "Good, it's not over yet!" Rin and Yuzu were curious as to what was currently happening in the duel.

Yuya grabbed another card from his hand, "And now…"

Yuzu saw and recognized the card Yuya was holding, "That's…"

Yuya placed the card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization from my hand!"

Nico looked shocked when he heard that, "What?!"

Sora, however, smiled in excitement, "Oh, Yuya's going to Fusion Summon!" The kids then looked even more excited to see Yuya Fusion Summoning again. Rin looked curious as well while Yuzu was watching this is amazement since she's trying to learn the summoning method as well. Kylian's eyes widened in shock, "What?" Ruri was the only one who frowned a little before getting a curious expression on her face as she was actually more curious about Yuya's Fusion Summoning than being depressed.

Yuya pointed at his monsters, "The monsters I choose to fuse are Stargazer Magician and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Both monsters went into the colorful vortex as Yuya was chanting.

"Wielder of mysterious powers, become a bright light and dwell in the eyes of the dragon! Fusion Summon! Come forth, arcane dragon wielder of ancient magic! Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon ( **ATK: 3000** , DEF: 2000, LV: 8)!" Yuya summoned a dragon that looked a little similar to Odd-Eyes with some key differences. It had a small, golden ring around its head and jaw while having a large one on his back. His right eye was covered by an eyepatch with a rune on it. His neck also had some yellow armor around it.

Nico stared at Rune-Eyes in shock, "Th-This is…!" This was the first time he has seen Yuya performed one of the other summoning methods: Fusion.

Kylian stared at the monster in surprise for a few seconds before smirking, "Heh, that's impressive. This guy is getting more interesting." If he recalls what his men told him, Yuya apparently also knows how to Xyz Summon. The fact that he wielded not only this Pendulum Summoning, but also Fusion and Xyz Summoning; it made him wonder.

Mieru stared at Rune-Eyes in shock, "A 3000 ATK Fusion Monster?!"

However, she regained her composure as she narrowed her eyes and pointed at Yuya, "But too bad you won't be able to wipe out my LP with that! Your fate remains unchanged!" Even if he attacked Petalelf, she has 2700 LP and the attack would only do 2200 damage.

Yuya smiled at Mieru, "Miss, if Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon used a Spellcaster-type monster as Fusion Material…" A silhouette of Stargazer appeared momentarily, "The amount of times it can attack my opponent's monsters changes based on the Level of that Spellcaster!"

Mieru looked shocked when she heard that, "What did you say?"

Yuya then smirked and held up three fingers, "When the Fusion Material's Level is 5 or 6, it can attack three times!" Mieru looked amazed as Yuya looked at Rune-Eyes and raised a fist, "Alright, let's go! Rune-Eyes!"

Rune-Eyes roared as Stargazer turned into three energy orbs that attached themselves to the holes of Rune-Eyes' back ring, forming an energy triangle around them. Yuya ran and jumped up onto Rune-Eyes as he flew up in the air. While Yuya flew past Mieru, he smiled at her, "Battle, miss." Mieru, however, saw Yuya do that in a charming way and felt her heartbeat increase while Rune-Eyes ran past her and ran on the wall with Yuya on his back.

Yuya pointed at Mieru's monsters, "I attack Ouijamorrigan, Petalelf, and Tarotrei with Rune-Eyes!" A circle with a triangle formed around Mieru's monsters as Mieru was charmed by Yuya as she looked at him.

Yuya had a smirk on his face, "This is the end! Unending Shining Burst!" One by one, a beam of light erupted from each orb and hit every monster. Tarotrei, Ouijamorrigan, and Petalelf were destroyed by the blasts of energy. Mieru looked at Yuya charmed while she was blushing. And then, when she saw him wink at her, she screamed in excitement as she was pushed back and nose bleed a little.

 **MIERU LP: 2700** → **0**

 **YUYA: WIN  
** **MIERU: LOSE**

Rune-Eyes let out a victory roar as he descended and landed on the ground. Yuya jumped off him before he vanished. He then looked at Rune-Eyes' card with a smile of gratitude, " _Thank you, Rune-Eyes, for coming to my aid when I needed help."_

He put the card away in his Extra Deck before he heard Tatsuya calling out to him, "Hey!" He turned to see the kids running towards him. When they stopped, they smiled as Ayu said, "You did it, Big Bro Yuya!"

Tatsuya looked at Yuya, "I can't believe you have a new Fusion Monster! Born from Pendulum Fusion, right?" Futoshi looked just as excited as the other two as he danced a little, "Pendulum Fusion! Gives me the shivers!"

Yuya chuckled a little, "Yeah, I guess so…" He did get a new dragon. He doesn't know how exactly but he's not complaining. He wonders if this is a clue to maybe what lies beyond Pendulum Summoning.

"You did great, Yuya." He turned his head to see Ruri with a sweet smile on her face. He smiled in response before remembering something and his eyes widened, "Oh, I'm sorry!" Ruri looked confused before he continued, "I Fusion Summoned even when I knew about your _problem_ about it. I'm sorry." He had a look of regret as he didn't mean to actually do that.

Ruri frowned as she realized what Yuya was talking about. After a few seconds, she smiled sweetly, feeling happy that Yuya cared for her feelings. She grabbed one of his hands with both of hers which made him look at her, "Don't be sorry, Yuya. I'm at least glad you won the duel. That's all that matters." Yuya was taken aback before he smiled in response.

However, the next moment they all heard an excited voice call out to them, "That was amazing, Yuya! You summoned a new Fusion Monster!" Everyone turned to see Sora standing next to Ruri with an excited smile on his face with Yuzu and Rin behind him.

Rin nodded in excitement, "Sorry we didn't see much of the duel but it was pretty cool at the end there."

Yuya turned to Yuzu, "So Yuzu, how is your Fusion Summoning coming along?"

Yuzu smiled as she raised a fist, "It's going well but watching you Fusion Summoning is going to push me further." She didn't know how long it took for Yuya to completely master Fusion Summoning but she'll get there eventually. Otherwise, she saw a cool new Fusion Monster from Yuya.

Yuya looked at his deck, " _One win and three more to go…"_ He doesn't know who else he's going to face but he'll be ready for them.

Meanwhile, Kylian was walking out of the arena but not before turning to look at Yuya with a smirk, " _He's definitely not bad and could become quite interesting to duel."_ From he saw, he's definitely worth his time for dueling. He then turned around, " _Yuya Sakaki. We'll formally meet soon enough and I'll show you my power."_ He soon exited the building, with his hands in his pockets, and out of sight where nobody even noticed.

Yuya chuckled a little, "Well, Yuzu, don't think I'm gonna make it easy for you either. I'm also evolving as well." He then raised a fist in excitement, "So, let's both strive to become better than our original selves."

Yuzu smirked as she raised a fist in response, "You got it!" They both lowered their fists soon and smiled at each other.

Both Yuya and Yuzu kept staring at each other passionately for a few seconds as it seemed like they were in their own atmosphere.

However, they soon heard someone cry out in excitement, "My fated person!" Both Yuya and Yuzu turned their heads toward the sound of that voice in confusion. Yuya gasped in shock and horror as he saw Mieru flying towards him.

Yuzu was shocked and worried when she saw Mieru crash into Yuya which made them fall to the ground, "Yuya!" However, she paused for a second as she then saw Mieru sitting on top of Yuya's chest. She felt anger boiling inside her as she wondered who this girl is and why she is love struck with Yuya.

Everyone else was in shock and confusion as to what is happening right now. Mieru looked at Yuya with a happy expression on her face while Yuya was confused and didn't know what was going on, "I knew you were my fated person! You made my heart go pitter-patter just now!" She then rubbed her cheek against Yuya's, "My divination wasn't wrong after all!"

Yuya had an eye closed and was confused by what was happening. He heard what she said and, after pondering for a few seconds, started to get an idea as he had a look of shock on his face right now. He was about to say something until he felt a chill in the air for some reason.

Yuzu was looking very displeased and had a dark expression on her face, "Hold on, fated person? What is the meaning of this?" She said that with a dark voice as she pulled out her fan while looking menacing.

Yuya started to get a little nervous as he saw the fan in Yuzu's hand, "Uh...This is a misunderstanding, Yuzu…"

However, Mieru interrupted him as she had stars in her eyes, "Oh my darling, there's no need to be so shy!" She started to rub her cheek against Yuya's again, to his discomfort.

A dark aura surrounded Yuzu as she glared at Yuya, "Yuya…!" Everyone else looked at Yuzu in surprise from how angry she was getting.

Yuya started to sweat a little, "I told you that this isn't-!"

However, Yuzu already had her fan ready as she ran towards Yuya, "Who is that girl to you?!" However, Yuya didn't answer as he had already jumped up on his feet and was running for his life to get away from Yuzu who currently looked like an angry demon.

Mieru, however, laughed while she clung to Yuya's neck, "Darling and I are bound together by fate!" Her comment only made Yuzu even angrier as she tried to hit Yuya in the head with her fan while Yuya desperately dodged the fan as good as he could while he carried Mieru who was still clinging to his neck.

Rin sweatdropped a little, "I wonder if I should stop her…" She doesn't know if that's a good idea or not because of Yuzu's emotions right now.

Ruri had a hasty expression on her face as she yelled out, "Yuzu, please calm down! It's not what you think!" Yuzu apparently didn't hear her as she was still chasing Yuya. Rin, however, thought she saw something odd in Ruri's expression that she couldn't make out before shaking it off.

Principal Naruko watched them with a shocked expression before she chuckled as she watched Yuya run for his life with Yuzu running after him with her fan held high, " _I wonder what kind of fate could be waiting for this young boy who can create his own destiny...?"_

She held up her crystal ball and it lit up for a moment. However, she saw something dark inside the crystal ball and was shocked by what she saw, "This is…" The crystal ball cracked then broke in half and fell out of her hand.

She looked down at Yuya with a shocked expression while Yuzu got closer to him, "Hey, stop running this instant!"

Yuya looked over his shoulder with a hasty look on his face, "Yuzu! Calm down!"

However, it was a big mistake to turn his head around since it slowed him down a little, which allowed Yuzu to caught up with him. She then smacked him hard on his head with her fan, causing him to scream in pain. The others watched in shock from seeing Yuzu's anger even more.

Mieru laughed, "Hey, darling? When can I meet your father and mother? And how many kids do you want to have?"

Yuya got a freaked out expression on his face, "I will definitely change that fate!" He cried out as he started to run again when he saw that Yuzu was getting ready to hit him with her fan again while he still tried her to calm down.

* * *

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime, and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **Even to this day, I still kinda find the last scene from that episode a little funny. :)**

 **When I went over the duel in the anime, it took me a few minutes for me to realize that not much of this duel would be different whether it had Action Cards or not though I apologize if it wasn't different much.**

 **Yes, I know I said I wasn't using Action Cards during this story. But looking back on what happened in this duel, I decided to use it for the sake of it. That was the reason this chapter was delayed a little because I kept going back and forth on this one. This was a one time thing like with Strong Ishijima! Please do not misunderstand me! This is probably the only other time I will use Action Cards during this story. It was either this or make up another card for that situation. (Which to me honestly sounds more ridiculous than the Action Card cause I cannot think of how exactly to replicate that chandelure scene with normal cards.)**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one. Now, we're onto Lucine's dueling debut!**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Haunted Wings of Rebellion -** After Yuya's duel with Mieru, Yuzu attempts to follow Masumi but is blocked by Lucine. Lucine, who still doesn't trust Yuzu, decides to test her by challenging her to a duel. Meanwhile, Masumi, Yaiba and Hokuto encounter Shun as they attempt to finally bring him down but...

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 **Like or please review ~**


	18. The Haunted Wings of Rebellion

**Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed the last chapter. Here's some of my responses:**

 _ **Tsukikami02**_ **\- Thanks for the comments.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18 - The Haunted Wings of Rebellion**

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 **MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION**

Inside the control room, employees were monitoring Hokuto and Masumi as the large screen showed them walking in the city, each in different parts. Hokuto was looking around with a cautious look on his face as one of the employees said, "Hokuto Shijima is on route to Sector TF13." Masumi was looking around her street with narrowed eyes, "Masumi Kotsu has entered sector ZX97." The screen then showed just Yaiba's profile with the word _Unknown_ under it, "Yaiba Todo's location is unknown. It seems he is currently outside of the mission's specific area."

Nakajima narrowed his eyes as he leaned over the main desk, "Get him back immediately! They said "Leave it to us!" This is why I was against using students from the Duel School…"

However, he then heard Reiji's voice, "Continue monitoring them." Nakajima turned around and saw Reiji coming up from the elevator platform. He was surprised that Reiji suggested they should continue, "President!"

Reiji walked over to him before turning his attention toward the screen, "They _will_ show themselves."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (NEARBY) LDS**

After a few minutes, Yuya and the others exited Unno Divination School and were on their way home. They were nearby the LDS building as they were walking.

Yuya groaned a little as he rubbing the sore spot on his head where Yuzu hit him with her fan. Yuya looked at Yuzu in confusion, "Yuzu, why did you smack me not only once but three times?" He had no idea exactly why Yuzu decided to him with her fan, especially when he's sure he has done nothing to deserve it. This is the second time this happened with the first one being with Sora. It took both Ruri and Rin a few minutes to calm her down and also get Mieru off of him in order to solve this.

Yuzu refused to look at him as she had an angry expression on her face and pouted, "Sorry, but I don't feel like telling you right now." In all honestly, she probably should have went for Mieru but she was so angry that she will admit she kinda jumped to conclusions. She's still mad at Yuya though for whatever happened with that girl.

Yuya narrowed his eyes in suspicion before he sighed, " _Why are girls so complicated…?"_ Sometimes, he wishes Yuzu would just outright say what she's feeling right now instead of not saying anything at all.

Ruri sweatdropped a little before she grew a sweet smile on her face, "Um...I'm sure it will be alright. It's over with now." She remembered how she had to calm Yuzu down by telling her exactly what was going on.

Rin held her hands behind her head as she looked at Yuzu, "But, seriously, you should have at least listen to us before jumping to conclusions. You shouldn't rush into things, Yuzu." She said that in a scolding tone as she felt like Yuzu deserved it.

Yuzu turned her head to Rin with a regretful look on her face, "I said I was sorry."

Sora then shouted out in excitement as he raised his arms, "Anyway, why don't we have a party to celebrate? I feel like having cake!" Everyone then stopped to talk for a minute.

Yuya chuckled a little before putting his hands on his waist, "Maybe later, Sora. You're forgetting you, me, and Rin still have some matches left to qualify for the Maiami Championship. We'll do it after we're all done."

Sora was shocked before he pouted at Yuya, "What!? But then if you don't qualify, we don't get a party?"

Yuya was surprised by what Sora said before he realized he was messing with him. He glared at him with a small smile, "Why, you little…!" He then grabbed Sora into a headlock in a playful manner. Yuzu, Rin, and the kids smiled a little from seeing how Yuya was getting along with Sora. Ruri, while there was a small smile, still looked a little troubled as she watched this.

Sora was having fun as he smiled while being grabbed, "I really want to eat some cake!" He held out his left arm in excitement.

Yuya let go of him as he smirked, "Oh, don't worry. Once we all qualify, I'll let you eat cake until you're sick of it."

Sora laughed when heard that, "That's impossible."

"Hold on, Sora." Sora turned his head to see Rin glaring at him, which made him confused. She then scolded him, "That's not a good idea especially with how many sweets you been eating these past few days." She then pointed at him, "Why don't you try eating something healthy for once?" Ever since she met him, she's been seeing Sora eat all sorts of candy and sweets mostly every day. As time went on, she can't help but feel concerned about his health with how many sweets he's been eating.

Sora, a little surprised by what Rin said, glared at Rin as he pouted, "What? Healthy food is boring. It never tastes any good." He tried healthy food once such as broccoli and he didn't like it one bit. He's been eating sweets for as long as he could remember and there's no way he's changing.

Rin frowned in frustration, "But it's good for you! You really should be thinking more about your health."

Sora waved his arms in frustration, "What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine…!" Rin and Sora continued to argue with each other about what food Sora should eat every now and then. The others couldn't help but sweatdropped and chuckle a little from their argument as they watched.

However, as Yuya watched with a smile, he couldn't help but feel bothered by something as he watched Sora. He frowned a little as he remembered that dream he had earlier this morning where he saw those uniformed duelists Fusion Summoning those mechanical giants. After looking at it for a few seconds, he saw that Sora's uniform actually does look a lot similar to ones in his dream. Yuya looked at the ground in confusion, " _But...there's no way that Sora is like that, right?"_ From what he saw, those men were enjoying themselves as they purposely caused destruction and pain in that city. As far as he knows, he has never seen Sora like that. He felt a little conflicted as he didn't know what to think. He shook his head a little, " _What am I talking about? I don't even know if that's real or not."_

"Yuya." He raised his head and saw Ruri looking at him with a concerned expression on her face, "Are you okay?" She saw that Yuya looked troubled for some reason and was concerned.

Yuya was taken aback before he quickly gave off a reassuring smile, "...Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking about the Maiami Championship." He didn't want to bother his friends with something he isn't sure of yet.

Ruri narrowed her eyes in worriment but nodded her head as it didn't look like Yuya was really that troubled about something.

Meanwhile, Yuzu was looking down at her _Polymerization_ card as she remembered what Yuto said to her, " _This card doesn't suit you."_ Then, that other girl said, " _Nothing good will come from Fusion Summoning."_ They both seem to have a problem with Fusion Summoning like with Ruri. But why is that? And she wondered why Yuto said that to her.

However, the next moment, she raised her head and noticed Masumi in the distance. She was looking around the area with a determined expression on her face before she ran off in a different direction.

Yuzu looked on in curiosity before she narrowed her eyes in determination, " _Masumi. Maybe if I follow her, I can get some answers."_ She had to find Yuto and those other two people again so she can talk to them. Maybe if she follows Masumi, she can find them again.

Having made her decision, Yuzu took off and ran after her. As she passed by Yuya and Sora, everyone looked at her surprised as Tatsuya called out, "Where are you going, Big Sis Yuzu?"

Yuzu turned her towards them as she kept running, "I just remembered something I have to do!"

Yuya was confused when she said that, "Something you have to do?" He wondered what that could be. Sora, however, got a little excited, "Is she getting the cake?!"

She continued running as she turned her back, "Sorry, go back without me!" She was then a little far away from them, leaving the others confused and curious to what she's going on about.

* * *

Masumi was walking along a side street with narrowed eyes as she looked around the area. However, she soon stopped and gasped in shock as she saw Shun standing in front of her with his eyes closed as it looked like he was waiting for her.

Shun looked at her with narrowed eyes, "Are you alone?" Masumi didn't answer and just glared at Shun as he continued, "Where is Yuzu and that brat from last time?"

Masumi narrowed her eyes, "I don't know and I don't care right now." She clenched her fists in frustration as she kept glaring at Shun, "I always thought that it was the black-masked man who attacked Professor Marco!"

She spread out her arms and pointed at him, "What did you do with Professor Marco!?"

Shun raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Marco?" The name was not familiar to him but he was curious as it seemed like this Marco is important to this girl.

Masumi gritted her teeth, "It's the name of the LDS teacher who taught me Fusion Summoning!"

Shun looked at her, "Oh, him?" He vaguely remembers dueling someone from LDS who used Fusion Summoning. He closed his eyes in understanding, "He wasn't that good." He opened his eyes and raised his hand, "His lack of combat experience showed in his weak and flimsy-"

However, Masumi interrupted him, "Shut up! Professor Marco is my teacher! I won't forgive you for belittling him!" She was getting more angry at his guy for belittling her teacher.

Shun looked back at her, "It wasn't just Marco!" He then scoffed a little as he turned his head to the side, "Everyone from LDS was flimsy and pathetic. In not one of their duels did I sense an iron determination or steeled strength!"

In the control room, Reiji and Nakajima were watching this conversation. Masumi then had a shocked expression on her face when she heard that, "Then, does that mean everyone from the other cases-?!"

Shun nodded his head, "I did it." He then looked at her with narrowed eyes, "If you say you won't forgive me, then…" He activated his duel disk, "Settle your grudge by defeating me!"

Reiji saw this with narrowed eyes before Nakajima spoke, "President." He turned his head to Nakajima, "The team is at your command." Reiji nodded his head as he was ready to send them out when they heard Masumi speak.

Masumi held her duel disk in her hands as she spoke into it, "I have located the target! Hokuto, Yaiba, get here fast!"

Hokuto ran towards Masumi's location with his duel disk in his hands and smirked, "Roger!"

Yaiba was standing on a coast with Gongenzaka across from him. He heard what Masumi said and smirked. He deactivated his duel disk and looked at Gongenzaka, "Sorry, finish the rest on your own! Something important came up and I have to leave!" Gongenzaka could only watch in confusion as Yaiba put away his duel disk and took off.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yuzu was walking through an alleyway, trying to look for Masumi. She looked around the area in confusion, " _Where did she go?"_ She wondered if she went farther down the alleyway and met with that Shun guy from the harbor before.

Deciding to go farther, she proceeded to walk down the rest of the way before she stopped. She was then surprised she saw someone appearing in front of her: it was the girl, who wasn't wearing her mask from earlier, that was with Yuto the other day.

Lucine looked at her with narrowed eyes, "I can't let you go any further." Yuzu narrowed her eyes in confusion as it seemed this girl was blocking her path.

* * *

Shun looked at Masumi with his duel disk ready, "So you called your friends? But you underestimate me if you think two more will suffice."

Masumi grew a smirk on her face as she had her hands on her waist, "Don't you worry!" She gestured her right arm, "You're already well-known at LDS. Since I knew what you look like, I was set as bait, walking around town waiting for you to show."

She pointed at Shun, "Simply put, you fell for our trap!" And then, to her surprise, Hokuto showed up as he landed next to her, "What she said!" Masumi turned to Hokuto in confusion as Hokuto smiled at her, "Don't worry, Masumi. We'll help you avenge Professor Marco!"

Yaiba then came up on her other side, "Let's finish this quickly before the top team shows up!" He looked at the other two with a smirk on his face, "If we manage to catch the criminal ourselves, our opportunities will widen!"

Masumi could only looked at them in surprise, "Yaiba...Hokuto…" She just called them in just in case of an emergency. She didn't think they would actually help her especially when they're not even that close. While choosing to think about it later, Masumi turned her head back to Shun in a serious manner, "...Thanks." Yaiba and Hokuto nodded in response.

Yaiba raised his fist in excitement as he looked at Shun, "How about we go with battle royale rules? None of us can draw or battle on our first turn."

Shun just looked back at them neutrally, "Fine. I'll finish you and your friends off all at once."

Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto all activated their duel disks and placed them on their arms, ready to duel. After a few seconds, all four of them were ready as they shouted out.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **SHUN LP: 4000  
** **MASUMI LP: 4000  
** **YAIBA LP: 4000  
** **HOKUTO LP: 4000**

* * *

Yuzu narrowed her eyes at Lucine, "What do you mean I can't go any further?" She was confused as to why this girl won't let her go after Masumi.

Lucine had a neutral expression on her face, "Exactly what I said. I don't want my comrade to be interrupted."

Yuzu was a little confused, "Your comrade?" Her eyes then widened in realization, "Wait...you don't mean that Shun guy from before, right? Don't tell me he's fighting Masumi right now?"

Lucine just stared at Yuzu with narrowed eyes, nothing saying anything in response. Yuzu narrowed her eyes as she wondered what this girl was about as she had never officially met her before. She saw her with Yuto at the harbor but she doesn't know anything about this girl.

Lucine closed her eyes in a calm manner, "If I were you, I'd leave right now. This doesn't involve you."

Yuzu felt a little insulted as she felt she has been involved in this whole situation since the start of it. However, she then remembered about Masumi going after Shun and was a little concerned about her. She doesn't know about this Shun because she doesn't know if he's dangerous or if he's even the culprit at all. Something about him did bother her a little bit.

Deciding to ignore this girl, Yuzu proceeded to run past her. Lucine turned her head toward Yuzu before she got a serious expression on her face. She grabbed Yuzu's arm and proceeded to push her backwards. Yuzu yelped in surprise as she was pushed back and landed on the ground in a thud. Yuzu groaned in pain a little, "Ow…"

Yuzu raised her head to look at Lucine in confusion and shock. Lucine looked a little frustrated as she glared at her, "...I said that you can't go any further!"

Yuzu got over her surprise before she got back up and looked at her in confusion. Lucine just staring at her as it looked like she wasn't going to budge at all.

Yuzu just looked at Lucine with a pleading expression on her face, "Please, you have to stop him! You and Yuto stopped him back then, didn't you? So, why this time…?"

Lucine's expression returned back to a calm manner as she closed her eyes, "You don't need to know." She's not really planning on telling this girl much and just wished she would leave already.

Yuzu gritted her teeth in frustration before she looked at Lucine with narrowed eyes, "What is going on here? And why did you and Yuto told me told me nothing good will come with Fusion Summoning?" If she can't get by, she'll at least try to ask this girl some questions.

Lucine just narrowed her eyes in response, not saying anything right now. After around half a minute, Yuzu frowned at her, "Why won't you say anything?"

Lucine retorted, "...Because I don't trust you." Yuzu was taken aback by this and wondered what she meant before Lucine's eyes looked at her in suspicion, "Yuto may trust you but I don't. I don't see why we should share information with an outsider." She then got a little angry as she pointed at Yuzu, "Especially since you also could have endanger my friend!" Ever since she heard Yuzu accidently told that Academia agent about Ruri's relations to Yuto, she has been extremely suspicious of Yuzu and was worried she might have endangered her friend in any way. To that end, even if Yuto said they could trust her, she doesn't know Yuzu much herself to believe in those words.

Yuzu stepped back a little in surprise, "Your friend? Endangered?" She narrowed her eyes a little, " _Is she talking about Ruri?"_ Ruri is the only person that comes to mind that is Yuto and this girl's friend. But what did she mean by endanger her?

Yuzu frowned at her, "Are you talking about Ruri?" Yuzu, although faint, saw a slight twitch in Lucine's eyes, telling her that she _was_ talking about Ruri. She then held out her arms in a pleading manner, "What do you mean "endanger"? I never want to harm Ruri if that's what you're saying! She's my friend!" Regardless of questioning what exactly she's talking about "endangering" Ruri, she knows she would never harm a friend let alone Ruri.

Lucine's eyes widened a little in surprise as she heard Yuzu saying Ruri is her friend. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she looked at Yuzu with scepticism, "...You're her friend?" If what she's saying is true, then what Yuto said is true also and Ruri is not in any actual danger except from that Academia agent. But she wasn't sure as this girl could still be lying.

Yuzu saw how Lucine was taken aback and saw her chance. She had to convince this girl that she would never harm try to harm Ruri. If she can get this girl's trust, maybe she'll be more willing to talk to her or at least let her through. She looked at Lucine with a sincere expression on her face, "Please, what can I do to make you trust me?"

Lucine narrowed her eyes and was about to retort before she saw Yuzu's eyes. They were full of determination and sincereness. It reminded her of Ruri in a way. While she was still suspicious, it didn't look like this girl was lying especially with those eyes.

She closed her eyes and hummed a little in thought as she had to think for a minute. Yuzu saw what Lucine was doing and was curious as to what she was going to do.

After a minute of thinking, Lucine made her decision as to what to do. Lucine opened her eyes and looked at Yuzu with a calm expression on her face, "If you want my trust…" She then pulled out her duel disk and activated it. She placed it on her arm and gestured her arm toward Yuzu, "...Then, show me what kind of duelist you are."

* * *

Shun, Yaiba, Hokuto and Masumi all drew their five cards as the duel began. Hokuto smirked at Shun, "The first strike wins!" He turned to Masumi, "Get him, Masumi!"

Masumi gave a serious look at Shun, "My turn!" She showed a card in her hand, "I Normal Summon Gem-Knight Lapis ( **ATK: 1200** , DEF: 100, LV: 3)!" Lapis appeared on Masumi's field.

She then placed another card in her duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn!"

Yaiba pointed at Shun with a smirk on his face, "You're next!"

Shun looked at his deck before he grabbed a card in his hand, "My turn!" He then showed that card, "I Normal Summon Raid Raptors - Vanishing Lanius ( **ATK: 1300** , DEF: 1600, LV: 4)!" Shun brought out a green and blue mechanical bird with a blue orb as an eye.

Shun grabbed another card in his hand, "When this card is successfully Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below "Raid Raptors" from my hand this turn! I summon another Vanishing Lanius ( **ATK: 1300** )!" A copy of the first monster appeared next to it.

Shun placed a card in his duel disk, "Next, I activate the Continuous Magic: Raid Raptors - Nest! When there are two or more "Raid Raptors" on my field, I can add a "Raid Raptors" monster from my Deck or Graveyard once per turn!"

Since he had two Vanishing Lanius on his field, Shun took a card from his Deck and showed it, "When I have a "Raid Raptors" on my field other than this card, I can Special Summon Raid Raptors - Fuzzy Lanius (ATK: 500, **DEF: 1500** , LV: 4) from my hand!" Shun then summoned a purple mechanical bird monster with blue wings that also had a green orb in its chest and yellow orbs in the middle of the wings.

Shun grabbed two cards from his hand and placed them in his duel disk, "Then, I set two cards and end my turn!" Two face-down cards appeared behind Shun's monsters as he ended his turn.

* * *

Yuzu narrowed her eyes in confusion, "You're saying you want to duel me?" She's a little confused as to what exactly this will accomplish.

Lucine nodded, "That's right." She still had her duel disk pointing at Yuzu as she kept talking, "Where I'm from, people often show their true selves in a duel and this would be no exception." Lucine raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "So, what do you say? You want to earn my trust? Then, show me what kind of person you are by dueling me." Lucine decided to test this girl to see if she's actually a genuinely good person like Yuto told her.

Yuzu looked at her for a few seconds before she looked down at the ground, pondering over what to do. She does want to convince this girl that she and Yuto can trust her. She needs to find out what exactly is happening for Ruri's sake. She then made her decision as she had a determined expression on her face as she brought out her own duel disk.

Lucine saw the duel disk Yuzu was pulling out, "Seems you're accepting my offer." Lucine then proceeded to walk back a few steps away so that she was across from Yuzu enough for dueling space. She narrowed her eyes at Yuzu, " _Now, let's see if what Yuto said is true."_

With both of agreeing to duel, they activated their duel disks and proceeded to shout out in readiness.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUZU LP: 4000  
** **LUCINE LP: 4000**

Yuzu then realized something as she gave Lucine a curious look, "Hey, I never got your name." She knows who Yuto is but she has never officially met this girl before until now.

Lucine looked at her for a second before she closed her eyes, "...It's Lucine." Yuzu was even more curious since she doesn't think Ruri mentioned her before, "Lucine…"

Lucine opened her eyes while showing a serious expression on her face, "If you don't mind, I'll be going first." She then placed her fingers on her Deck, "Draw!" She drew her card before looking at the rest of her hand.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes as she wondered what kind of deck Lucine uses. She has seen the unorthodox style of "Phantom Knights" from Yuto so she wondered if Lucine has something similar or not. However, she's also being a little cautious since she saw how good Yuto was against Sawatari and maybe Lucine is as good as him.

However, to Yuzu's surprise, Lucine took a card from her hand and placed it face-down, "I set a monster in face-down Defense Position." A face-down monster card appeared in front of Lucine.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes as she looked at the card, " _Face-down Defense Position…"_ This sounds a little similar to how she heard Yuya's duel with Mieru went and wondered what kind of monster it is.

Lucine wasn't done as she took another card in her hand and placed it on her duel disk, "Now, I activate the Field Magic: Ghostrick Parade!" She activated the Field Magic in which the area was now surrounded by in a blinding light. It then revealed a town full of old and haunted houses with street lights and balloons. There were jack-o-lanterns, ghosts as well as snow falling around the area.

Yuzu looked around in wonder as the field changed, "Ghostrick Parade…" She doesn't know what "Ghostrick" is but she imagines this is like an old abandoned town full of ghosts. It reminds her of Halloween in a way. She will admit that the town looks nice but she wondered the Field Magic does.

As Lucine saw Yuzu looking around the area in amusement, she then said, "I end my turn." Yuzu turned to her as she heard Lucine finishing her turn.

Yuzu saw the look of Lucine was giving her, showing she was definitely testing her to see what's got. She narrowed her eyes in determination as she placed her fingers on her deck, "My turn, draw!" She looked at her hand, " _I have to careful. I may have learned Fusion and Ritual Summoning but I don't know her deck very well."_

She showed a card in her hand, "First, I activate the Magic Card: 1st Movement Solo! Since I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below "Melodious" from my hand or Deck!"

She then took a card from her deck and showed it, "I Special Summon Aria the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 1200, LV: 4)!" Yuzu summoned a female pink-skinned humanoid monster that had short purple hair, a light red cloth wrapped around her waist, half of an orange mask covering part of her face, red eyes, orange wings on her back, and was wearing a dark red dress with leggings.

Yuzu looked at Lucine, "As long as I control this Special Summoned monster, you can't target my "Melodious" monsters with card effects and they can't be destroyed by battle." Lucine just narrowed her eyes in response to that.

Yuzu then took another card from her hand, "Next, I Normal Summon Prelude the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4)!" A female tan-skinned humanoid monster appeared on Yuzu's field that had long brown hair with blue eyes. She was wearing a crimson red shirtwaist dress and white ballerina shoes.

"When Prelude is Normal Summoned, I can add a "Melodious" monster from my Deck to my hand." Yuzu took a card from her deck and added it to her hand.

She showed another card, "And since I control a "Melodious" monster, I can Special Summon Sonata the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1200** , DEF: 1000, LV: 3) from my hand!" Sonata was brought out next to Yuzu's monsters.

Yuzu pointed at Sonata, "Sonata's monster effect! As long as this Special Summoned card is on my field, my "Melodious" monsters gain 500 ATK and DEF!" Sonata sang her song which gave off more energy to all of Yuzu's monsters.

 **Aria the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 1600** → **2100** , DEF: 1200→1700)  
 **Prelude the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 1700** → **2200** , DEF: 1000→1500)  
 **Sonata the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 1200** → **1700** , DEF: 1000→1500)

Yuzu held out her hand, "Battle! I attack your face-down with…" However, Lucine interrupted her with her eyes closed, "Sorry, but you aren't allowed." Yuzu stopped in confusion as what she meant by that.

Lucine opened her eyes to look at Yuzu neutrally, "Ghostrick Parade's effect. With this card on my field, my opponent isn't allowed to attack any of my face-down Defense Position monsters. However, you are allowed to attack me directly if all I control are face-down monsters."

Yuzu narrowed her eyes in confusion, " _I can attack her directly...?"_ Based on the monsters she has out right now, she could end the duel right here and there by just attacking her directly. She wondered what her strategy was and seeing the calm look on Lucine's face is telling her that there is something else about this Field Magic that she doesn't know yet.

With not many options, she looked at Lucine in determination, " _Even so, I'll take this chance!"_

Yuzu held out her hand towards Prelude, "I attack you directly with Prelude the Melodious Diva!" Prelude flew straight towards Lucine.

However, Lucine held out her hand, "At this moment, Ghostrick Parade's effect activates!" The old houses were rattling and shaking around the area as it looked like there were people celebrating in them, confusing Yuzu.

Lucine looked at Yuzu, "When my opponent declares a direct attack, I can add one "Ghostrick" card from my Deck to my hand." She took a card from her deck and showed it, "I add Ghostrick Frost to my hand."

Then, Lucine grabbed a different card from her hand and showed it, "Furthermore, I activate the effect of Ghostrick Lantern in my hand!" A silhouette of a ghostly monster appeared above Lucine. It was wearing a dark robe, pumpkin-shaped helmet, witch hat and had hands like a scarecrow carrying a lantern. It looked like nothing was inside of it except there was white eyes inside the helmet, making it look like a ghost possessing the armor.

Lantern then charged forward and rammed into Prelude, knocking her back with a thud before it disappeared. Prelude grunted before she was forced to return back to Yuzu's field.

Yuzu was taken aback, "What?" She wondered how exactly Lucine stopped her attack and what monster that was.

Lucine narrowed her eyes as she held the card, "When my opponent declares a direct attack, I can activate Ghostrick Lantern's effect. It negates your attack and it also lets Special Summon this card in face-down Defense Position." With that said, Lucine placed the card on her duel disk and a face-down card appeared next to her other one due to Lantern's effect.

Lucine looked at Yuzu, "Since the effect doesn't target, Aria's effect won't work."

Yuzu gritted her teeth before she pointed at Aria, "Aria attack Lucine directly!" Aria opened her mouth and began singing a lovely song in which musical notes appeared that went straight towards Lucine.

Lucine looked at her deck, "Due to Ghostrick Parade, I add another Ghostrick Frost to my hand." She took the same monster from before and added it to her hand. She then held up the first Frost, "And then, I activate the effect of the first Ghostrick Frost I added to my hand!" A silhouette of a snowman appeared above Lucine's head. It was wearing a light blue coat, snow hat, mittens and a multicolored scarf. There was also a camo-colored bag around his right arm that had a creepy face with glowing green eyes, almost like a ghost possessing it.

Ghostrick Frost blew snow from its mouth and blinded Aria, making stop singing. As Frost disappeared, Aria's card appeared below her and flipped up. Aria was forced into face-down Defense Position, surprising Yuzu again.

"With this card, when my opponent declares a direct attack, I can change that monster into face-down Defense Position. And then, I can Special Summon this card in face-down Defense Position." Lucine placed Frost's card on her duel disk and a third face-down monster appeared on her field.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes before starting to realize her strategy, " _With that Field Magic, she can just keep adding cards to her hand to stop my attacks."_ This will make it more difficult to beat her. She looked at Sonata, " _Should I attack? She'll negate this attack cause of the Frost she added to her hand before."_ Although with that effect, she'll have to run out of cards to counter with eventually.

She decided to go for it as she held out her hand, "I attack you directly with Sonata!" Sonata flew straight towards Lucine.

Lucine closed her eyes, "Due to Ghostrick Parade, I add Ghostrick Havoc to my hand." She added another card to her hand before she then showed her second Frost, "I activate the effect of the other Frost in my hand!" A second silhouette of Frost appeared momentarily as it unleashed a blizzard that stopped and forced Sonata into face-down Defense Position. She then placed the card on her duel disk, "And then I Special Summon this card in face-down Defense Position!" Frost appeared as another face-down card, making Lucine now have four monsters face-down.

Lucine looked at Yuzu, "And since Sonata was changed to face-down, her effect no longer applies. So your monsters' ATK and DEF return to normal." Because Sonata was no longer face-up on the field, her effect is gone which made Yuzu's monster return to normal or at least Prelude.

 **Prelude the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 2200** → **1700** , DEF: 1500→1000)

Yuzu gritted her teeth before she frowned a little as she looked at the ground, "I end my turn." Lucine is definitely good, better than she thought. She wondered what she could do in this situation.

Lucine, who was watching Yuzu looking a little troubled, narrowed her eyes and hummed in thought, "Hmm…"

* * *

 **SHUN LP: 4000** _; Shun's hand: 0  
_ **MASUMI LP: 4000** _; Masumi's hand: 3  
_ **YAIBA LP: 4000** _; Yaiba's hand: 5  
_ **HOKUTO LP: 4000** _; Hokuto's hand: 5_

Hokuto threw out his arm, "My turn!" He grabbed a card from his hand and held it up, "If my opponent controls monsters and I do not, I can Special Summon Sacred Scheat ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 1600, LV: 1)!" Hokuto summoned a small knight in white armor that was holding what looked like an urn above his head.

Hokuto held out his arm, "Following that, I Normal Summon Sacred Pollux ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 600, LV: 4)!" He then brought a larger monster in white armor and cape whose armor was only had golden parts on half of it as the other was pure white. The armor covered one of its eyes as it only showed one red eye on its head.

Hokuto held up another card, "During the turn this card was Normal Summoned, I can Normal Summon another "Sacred" monster! I summon Sacred Gredi ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 1400, LV: 4)!" Gredi appeared on Hokuto's field now.

"I activate Gredi's monster effect!" He pointed at Gredi, "I can Special Summon a Level 4 "Sacred" monster from my hand! I summon Sacred Kaust ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 700, LV: 4)!" Kaust then appeared next to Gredi, making Hokuto have four monsters now.

Hokuto narrowed his eyes as he glared at Shun, "You use Xyz, don't you? And you using it to commit all of these crimes…" He then pointed at Shun, "...is a huge pain in the ass you know! I have to defeat you in order to defend the honor of Xyz!" Shun just looked at Hokuto, completely unfazed by what Hokuto just said.

Hokuto clenched his fist in determination as he smirked, "As well as to prove the LDS' Xyz is the strongest!" He turned his head to Kaust before he held out his hand to it, "I activate Kaust's monster effect!" Kaust released two arrows of light that rained down on itself and Gredi, "I increase Gredi's and Kaust's Levels by 1!"

 **Sacred Kaust** ( **LV: 4→5** )  
 **Sacred Gredi** ( **LV: 4→5** )

Hokuto's smirk then grew larger, "I overlay my now Level 5 Sacred Kaust and Sacred Gredi!" Both of his monsters turned into yellow energy that went into a portal.

A card came from Hokuto's Extra Deck as he took it out, "Light of the stars, come descend and shake this very earth! Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Sacred Pleiades ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 1500, RNK: 5, OVU: 2)!" Hokuto's ace monster, Pleiades, appeared on his field.

Hokuto placed a card in his duel disk and then held out his hand, "Furthermore, I activate the Magic Card: Twinkle Sacred from my hand! It increases Sacred Pollux's Level by 2!"

 **Sacred Pollux** ( **LV: 4→6** )

He pointed at Scheat, "I activate Sacred Scheat's effect! It targets Pollux and matches its Level!" Scheat looked at Pollux before it grabbed its urn and toss it into the air, making it release light particles as Scheat gained more Levels.

 **Sacred Scheat** ( **LV: 1→6** )

Hokuto smiled, "I overlay my Level 6 Scheat and Pollux!" Both monsters also turned into yellow energy that went into a portal as Hokuto chanted, "Rain down your dazzling light! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 6! Sacred Ptolemys Messier 7 ( **ATK: 2700** , DEF: 2000, RNK: 6, OVU: 2)!" Hokuto summoned a dragon with pure white and golden armor all around its body with stars on the insides of its wings. It roared as it appeared on the field.

Yaiba held up a fist in excitement, "He pulled off consecutive Xyz Summons!" Masumi couldn't help but be impressed as she smiled a little, "Nice job, Hokuto."

Hokuto had his eyes toward them for a second before he chuckled. He turned his attention back to Shun, "I'm just getting started! I activate Sacred Pleiades' effect! By using an Overlay Unit, I return one of your monsters to your hand!" One of Pleiades' Overlay Units vanished and then one of Shun's Vanishing Lanius disappeared in a bright light. Shun returned the Vanishing Lanius back to his hand.

 **Sacred Pleiades** ( **OVU: 2** → **1** )

Hokuto held out his hand, "Furthermore, I activate Ptolemys Messier's effect! By using one Overlay Unit, I return another monster to your hand!" One of Messier's Overlay Units also vanished and the second Vanishing Lanius was returned to Shun's hand.

 **Sacred Ptolemys Messier 7** ( **OVU: 2** → **1** )

Hokuto looked at Shun, "I end my turn with that." He turned to Yaiba, "You're up next Yaiba, we're counting on you!"

Yaiba had a smirk on his face as he was getting excited, "Alright! Leave it to me!"

Shun, however, just kept looking at them while seeming being unconcerned right now.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (NEARBY) SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

Yuya had his hands behind his head, "Man, I probably should have followed Yuzu to see what was up before but I'm sure she'll be fine." He was currently walking back to his house which was around a few blocks away. Ruri and Rin decided to go back home to Yuzu's place to wait for her while the kids went home as well. Sora went off somewhere but he didn't say where he was going.

Yuya smiled a little, "Well, at least I have one victory now." He just now needed to three more in order to qualify. He wondered who else he will be facing and he's secretly hoping that it won't be as weird as Mieru's was.

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon then appeared in miniature, transparent form in front of Yuya. He smiled at his partner, " _Well, I'd say bring them on. With you, me, Mystic, and all of our other friends, we can take on anybody."_ Being with Yuya has always made him happy as he felt at ease when dueling with him. Yuya's optimism and competitiveness fired up Odd-Eyes' spirit whenever they duel together and he will always be grateful by supporting him.

Yuya chuckled a little in response, "You said it, Odd-Eyes." He was happy to have such a good relationship with his deck.

However, a thought came to mind as he stopped walking. Odd-Eyes stopped as well, wondering what was up. Yuya turned to Odd-Eyes with a curious expression, "Speaking of which, what was up about you having _hesitation_ during that duel?"

Odd-Eyes was taken aback before he looked hesitate, " _Oh, that…"_ This is something that has been bothering him for awhile now. He wanted to talk to Yuya about it but couldn't find an opportunity to tell him.

Yuya smiled a little in reassurance, "Odd-Eyes, come on. We're friends, partners. You can tell me what's wrong."

Odd-Eyes looked at Yuya for a second before turned his head to the ground, pondering for a few seconds. He raised his head toward Yuya, " _Well, I…"_

However, in that moment, Odd-Eyes was interrupted by someone, "Well, it's nice to finally meet you, Yuya Sakaki."

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise as he didn't notice somebody nearby. He turned his head to see who spoke. It was a boy that looked to be around Yuya's age. He had hazel eyes and dark blue hair with spikes high above his head. He had canine teeth that was somewhat sticking out of his mouth sometimes. He also appeared a little muscular as he also wearing a gray coat with a dark blue shirt underneath and the sleeves of the coat were ripped out as well. He also wore brown pants and boots.

Yuya narrowed his eyes in confusion, "And who are you?" He had never meet this guy before but apparently he knows about him.

Kylian smirked at him, "...I am Kylian Orman." He then continued, "And I must say, it's been a bit of a pain trying to find you. I wasn't even sure if you were worth it but now I'm interested in your skills."

Yuya frowned a little as he didn't know exactly what this guy was talking about. From what he said, it sounded like he watched one of his duels and was interested in dueling himself. Yuya looked at Kylian in curiosity, "I'm sorry, but have we met before?"

Kylian just smiled in response, "Not personally. Although, I do believe you've met many of my men before. The _Duel Hunters_."

Yuya's eyes widened a little as he recognized that name before: it was the name of those gang of bullies who tried to take people's cards like those kids one time. He narrowed his eyes at Kylian as he cautiously wondered what he wanted. He heard Kylian said _his men_ and wondered, "So, does that mean you're the leader?"

Kylian nodded as his smirk grew bigger, "That's right. You're a quick learner."

Yuya then pointed at him, "Why are you and that gang trying to steal cards from other duelists? Don't you and those other guys have any honor?" Now that he's finally meeting the leader, he decided to let out some frustrations he's had with that gang ever since he met them.

Kylian, however, just nonchalantly gestured his arm in a uncaring fashion, "I don't see why that would be any of your concern. Duelists have such different opinions on the word _honor_. Besides, I'm not the one who ordered them to do that. They can do whatever they want."

Yuya was now confused, "You're not the one who ordered them? Then, what do you want?" He was thinking he wanted revenge for defeating some of his gang members and taking his cards. Now, he doesn't know what he wants.

Kylian held up a fist in excitement, "What I want is a challenge." He looked at Yuya with fiery eyes, "I've been in this city for years and there hasn't been anyone tough enough to duel against me." He then pointed at Yuya, "And I watched you duel. You interest me and I want to see what happens when we duel each other. Especially with that Pendulum Summoning of yours."

Yuya raised an eyebrow, "You know about Pendulum Summoning?" Kylian shrugged his shoulders, "I've seen enough of it to know what it's about. And the fact that my men told me that you know how to Xyz Summon as well as Fusion Summon."

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he wondered how much of his dueling does Kylian know about. He didn't mention Synchro or Ritual Summoning so he's going to assume he doesn't know about that yet.

Kylian looked at Yuya in anticipation, "So, what are you gonna do? Are you accepting my challenge?"

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he wondered what to do. He doesn't know what will happen if he refuses but, on the other hand, he does need another opponent for the Maiami Championship. If he wins against this guy, that will qualify as another win for him.

Yuya raised his head and raised a fist in determination, "...Sure. I'll accept."

Kylian smiled in satisfaction, "Good." He then pointed at Yuya, "And I'll be sure to crush you with my power!" Yuya just watched him, silently accepting the challenge.

Kylian then walked away past Yuya with his hands in his pockets but not before saying, "We'll meet at the harbor tomorrow. Better be ready." Soon after, he was far away from Yuya and out of sight.

Yuya watched as Kylian before he could no longer see him. He wondered what kind of challenge this guy will be. He looked at his duel disk, "I better call Nico." He probably needed to tell him that he found a second opponent himself as he slowly walked back home.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (NEARBY) LDS**

 **YUZU LP: 4000** _; Yuzu's hand: 4  
_ **LUCINE LP: 4000** _; Lucine's hand: 4_

Lucine looked at Yuzu before she placed her fingers on her deck, "It's my turn, draw!" She drew her card before she grabbed three of her face-down monsters, "I Flip Summon Ghostrick Lantern ( **ATK: 800** , DEF: 0, LV: 1) and my two Ghostrick Frosts ( **ATK: 800** , DEF: 100, LV: 1)!" Three of her cards flipped face-up, making Lantern and two Frosts appear on Lucine's field.

She then threw out her arm, "And now I Flip Summon Ghostrick Jiangshi ( **ATK: 400** , DEF: 1800, LV: 3)!" A card flipped face-up and a ghostly kid wearing makeup, a purple robe, and had a sealing sign on his face appeared on the field.

Lucine pointed at her monster, "Ghostrick Jiangshi's effect activates. When this card is flipped face-up, I can add a "Ghostrick" monster from my Deck to my hand that has a Level less than or equal to the number of Ghostricks I control. I have four on my field so I add the Level 3 Ghostrick Mummy to my hand." She took a card from her Deck and showed it momentarily before adding it to her hand.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes, " _She has three Level 1 monsters…"_ Since she knows Yuto uses Xyz Summoning and Ruri is her friend, it stands to reason that Lucine would know how to Xyz Summon as well.

Lucine held out her hand, "I overlay my Level 1 Ghostrick Lantern and one of my Ghostrick Frosts!" Both of her monsters turned into dark energy that went into a portal.

"Cursed headless knight whose forced to carry a burden! Ride your steed away so you can wreak havoc on your foes! Xyz Summon! Arise, Rank 1! Ghostrick Dullahan ( **ATK: 1000** , DEF: 0, RNK: 1, OVU: 2)!" Lucine summoned a black knight that had its own head carried in its left arm. It wielded a sword in its right hand while riding a white horse with a purple mane.

Yuzu looked at the monster in curiosity, " _So this is her Xyz Summoning…"_

Lucine looked at Yuzu, "Ghostrick Dullahan gains 200 ATK for every "Ghostrick" card I control." She then gestured her disk disk, "I have four on my field right now ( **4 x 200 = 800** ) which means Dullahan gains 800 ATK." Due to her having a Field Magic and three monsters, Dullahan gained more strength from all of those cards.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 1000** → **1800** )

Lucine showed a card in her hand, "I Normal Summon Ghostrick Mummy ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 0, LV: 3)!" She brought out a ghoulish mummy that also had a zombie-like face. Because another Ghostrick was out, Dullahan gained more ATK.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 1800** → **2000** )

Lucine then held up another card, "Due to Ghostrick Mummy's effect, I'm allowed Normal Summon another "Ghostrick" to my field once per turn. I Normal Summon Ghostrick Warwolf ( **ATK: 1400** , DEF: 1500, LV: 3)!" A ghoulish werewolf, with a scar over its right eyes and had a chain hanging on its left arm, appeared on the field while howling.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2200** )

Lucine narrowed her eyes as she held out her hand, "I overlay my Level 3 Ghostrick Mummy and Warwolf!" Both monsters turned into dark energy that went into a portal.

"Soul of the blood prince! Arise from the ashes and make way for your new haunted form! Xyz Summon! Arise, Rank 3! Ghostrick Alucard ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 1600, RNK: 3, OVU: 2)!" Lucine summoned a vampire with a ghastly face who wore black pants and black cape with red underneath and an white, long-sleeved undershirt.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2200** → **2000** )

Yuzu looked at Alucard in curiosity, " _I wonder if that's her ace…"_

Lucine looked at Yuzu, "I activate Ghostrick Alucard's effect. By using an Overlay Unit, I target one face-down card my opponent controls and destroy it." One of Alucard's Overlay Units vanished and then Alucard pointed at face-down card of Aria, sending a blast of energy from his fingers and destroying the card. Yuzu gritted her teeth as she saw her monster getting destroyed.

 **Ghostrick Alucard** ( **OVU: 2** → **1** )

Lucine closed her eyes, "As long as Ghostrick Parade is on the field, my opponent doesn't take any damage." Yuzu was confused as to why Lucine was sharing that now.

Lucine then opened her eyes in seriousness as she placed a card in her duel disk, "Therefore, I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Ghostrick Havoc! I destroy one Field Magic on the field!" Ghostrick Parade was slowly getting destroyed as bits and pieces disappeared one after another before vanishing completely.

"And then I Special Summon a Level 4 or below "Ghostrick" from my hand or Deck in face-down Defense Position." Lucine took a card from her deck and placed it face-down, "So, I set Ghostrick Yeti from my Deck face-down." Another face-down appeared in front of Lucine, making her have a total of five monsters.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2000** → **1800** )

Lucine looked at Dullahan, "At this moment, I activate Ghostrick Dullahan's effect. By using an Overlay Unit, I target one face-up monster on the field and it loses half of its ATK until the end of the turn." As one of the Overlay Units vanished, the horse galloped before the knight swung his sword, creating a shockwave that hit Prelude.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **OVU: 2** → **1** )  
 **Prelude the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 1700** → **850** )

Lucine, for some reason, then had intensity in her eyes as she held her hand, "Battle! I attack Prelude the Melodious Diva with Dullahan!" The horse galloped again before it charged straight towards Prelude and the knight slashed right through her, destroying Yuzu's monster. The explosion made Yuzu cross her arms in front of herself.

 **YUZU LP: 4000** → **3050**

"Alucard attacks your face-down monster! Blood Screech!" Alucard cackled before unleashed a ghostly wail of red energy toward Yuzu's face-down, flipping her face-up and destroying Sonata as soon as she reappeared.

Lucine pointed at Yuzu, "And now Frost and Jiangshi will attack you directly!" Frost and Jiangshi flew straight toward Yuzu and headbutted her one at a time, knocking her back as she yelped and landed on her knees.

 **YUZU LP: 3050** → **2250** → **1850**

She then threw out her arm, "I activate the other effects of Jiangshi and Frost. It allows me to change them back to face-down Defense Position once per turn." As soon as she said that, Frost and Jiangshi's cards flipped back down, returning them to face-down cards. Because two Ghostricks were flipped back face-down, Dullahan lost some of its strength.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 1800** → **1400** )

Yuzu was breathing a little heavily as she saw this, " _That means she can activate their effects again when they flip back up."_ She'll have to be more careful with how she deals with those Ghostricks.

Lucine placed a card in her duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

Lucine turned her eyes back to Yuzu, who stood straight back up again with a fire in her eyes. She narrowed her eyes as she saw this, " _She hasn't shown me much but...she's got determination. I'll give her that."_ Although, she questions if there's more to this girl than meets the eye or just someone that shouldn't be involved at all.

* * *

 **SHUN LP: 4000** _; Shun's hand: 2  
_ **MASUMI LP: 4000** _; Masumi's hand: 3  
_ **YAIBA LP: 4000** _; Yaiba's hand: 5  
_ **HOKUTO LP: 4000** _; Hokuto's hand: 0_

Yaiba smirked as he held up a card, "Let's do this! I summon XX-Saber Boggarknight ( **ATK: 1900** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4)!" Boggarknight was brought onto the field.

Yaiba smiled as he held up another card, "When this monster is successfully Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "X-Saber" monster from my hand! I Special Summon, the Level 1 Tuner monster, X-Saber Palomio ( **ATK: 200** , DEF: 300, LV: 1)!" Palomio appeared on the field while holding his rapier.

Palomio and Boggarknight crossed their swords together, forming an energy blast that opened a portal, "When there are two or more "X-Saber" monsters on the field, I can Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1800, LV: 6)!" Faultroll appeared from the portal in the ground.

Yaiba's smirk grew even bigger, "Now after you've seen LDS' Xyz Summoning, I'll show you LDS' Synchro Summoning! I tune my Level 4 Boggarknight with my Level 1 Palomio ( **4 + 1 = 5** )!" Palomio turned into a single green energy ring that surrounded Boggarknight.

"Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 5! X-Saber Wayne ( **ATK: 2100** , DEF: 400, LV: 5)!" Wayne was then brought onto the field as he spun his bayonet gun around.

Yaiba looked at Shun, "But this is only the beginning. When this guy is Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below Warrior-type monster from my hand!" Wayne then pointed and shot his gun into the ground, creating a portal, "I summon, the Level 3 Tuner monster, XX-Saber Fulhelmknight (ATK: 1300, **DEF: 1000** , LV: 3)!" Fulhelmknight was brought out as well as he appeared from the portal.

Yaiba held out his hand, "I activate Faultroll's effect! I bring back X-Saber Palomio ( **ATK: 200** ) from my Graveyard!" Faultroll stabbed his sword into the ground and Palomio was brought back as a result of his effect.

"Now here's the real deal! I tune my Level 6 Faultroll with my Level 3 Fulhelmknight ( **6 + 3 = 9** )!" Fulhelmknight turned into three green energy rings that surrounded Faultroll, "Let your silver armor shine! Crush the hope of all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 9! XX-Saber Gottoms ( **ATK: 3100** , DEF: 2600, LV: 9)!" Gottoms appeared on Yaiba's field.

Yaiba pointed at his other monsters, "One more! I tune my Level 5 X-Saber Wayne with Level 1 Palomio ( **5 + 1 = 6** )!" Palomio turned into a single green energy ring that surrounded Wayne, "Clothed in your red mantle, take down your foes with your dancing blade! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 6! XX-Saber Hyunlei ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1300, LV: 6)!" Hyunlei was then summoned right next to Gottoms.

Yaiba and Hokuto turned to each other with knowing smirks on their faces before Yaiba held out his arm, "Hyunlei's monster effect activates! When she's Synchro Summoned, she can destroy three Magic and Trap Cards on the field!" Hyunlei then held up her left hand which had three small daggers between her fingers; she tossed them towards Shun's two face-down cards as well as Raid Raptors - Nest and destroyed them.

Hokuto then held out his right hand, "I use another of Sacred Pleiades' Overlay Units to activate its monster effect! I return Fuzzy Lanius back to your hand!" Pleiades' second Overlay Unit vanished and Fuzzy Lanius vanished from the field as well, returning it to Shun's hand.

Masumi had a smile on her face, "Amazing! His field is wide-open now!"

And, to her confusion, Yaiba chuckled while he had his eyes closed, "We're not done yet, this isn't enough!" He then opened his eyes with intensity in them, "I'll use my forbidden move on you!"

Yaiba placed his last card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Gottoms' Emergency Convocation! I Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll and X-Saber Wayne from my Graveyard with 0 ATK!" Wayne ( **ATK: 0** ) and Faultroll ( **ATK: 0** ) returned to Yaiba's side of the field.

He then pointed at Faultroll, "I'll revive Fulhelmknight with the revived Faultroll's effect!" Faultroll stabbed his sword into the ground again and Fulhelmknight was brought back as a result.

Yaiba smirked at Shun, "Gottoms' monster effect activates! By tributing one "X-Saber" monster, I can discard one card from my opponent's hand! I tribute Fulhelmknight, Faultroll, and Wayne in order to discard your entire hand!" As those three monsters were released, Gottoms sent a slash of energy towards Shun and hit him. The three cards in his hand glowed purple so he was forced to send them to his graveyard.

However, Shun looked at his deck as he was discarding the last one, "Fuzzy Lanius' effect activates. When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can add another Fuzzy Lanius from my Deck to my hand." Shun took another Fuzzy Lanius from his deck and added it to his hand.

Yaiba, however, still seemed satisfied, "Well, even though I couldn't get rid of your entire hand, you still can't do much now!" He could tribute Hyunlei as well but this guy might just add another Fuzzy Lanius to his hand as a result so he doesn't want to waste it.

Meanwhile, in the control room, Nakajima smiled while he looked impressed, "Well done!" He turned towards Reiji, "It seems they weren't just talk after all." Reiji, however, didn't say anything and just kept looking at the monitor.

Yaiba looked at Shun with a smirk on his face, "We might be even stronger than LDS' top team!" Hokuto turned to Yaiba with a smirk as well, "We might be! If we take out this guy, we'll be promoted to their ace members in an instant!"

Yaiba nodded his head, "Then, let's end this in an instant!" He turned his eyes back to Shun, "I end my turn here!" He then turned to Masumi, "Alright Masumi, you'll be the one to finish it up!" Yaiba gave her a thumbs up as Hokuto nodded in agreement.

Masumi was surprised again, "Hokuto...Yaiba…" Once again, they're helping her out by letting her deal the finishing blow. She wasn't sure what else to say when she smiled, "...Thank you."

She turned toward Shun with narrowed eyes, "From this turn forward, I can draw!" She placed her fingers on her deck, "My turn, draw!"

She drew her card and looked at it before she showed it, "I activate the Magic Card: Gem-Knight Fusion! I fuse my Gem-Knight Lapis on my field and Gem-Knight Lazuli in my hand!" Lapis and a small, brown knight with green eyes, while also looking a lot similar to Lapis, went into a colorful vortex.

"The blue and green stones that hides mysterious power! Now, become light and appear! Fusion Summon! Level 5! Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1000, LV: 5)!" Lapis Lazuli appeared on Masumi's field in an elegant style.

However, Shun narrowed his eyes as he was full of hatred from seeing Masumi Fusion Summoning.

Masumi held out her hand, "I activate the effect of Gem-Knight Lazuli! When this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can return one Normal Monster from my Graveyard to my hand!" She showed the card she added to her hand, "I add Gem-Knight Lapis to my hand!"

Masumi looked at Shun, "Furthermore, I activate the effect of Gem-Knight Fusion in my Graveyard! By banishing a "Gem-Knight" monster from my Graveyard, I can return this card to my hand! I banish Gem-Knight Lazuli in my Graveyard." As Lazuli was banished, Masumi returned the Magic Card back to her hand.

She then placed the card inside her duel disk again, "Here comes another! I activate Gem-Knight Fusion!" She held up the last three cards from her hand, "I fuse Gem-Knight Alexand, Gem-Knight Emeral, and Gem-Knight Lapis in my hand!" Emeral and Lapis along with a silver knight, that had different colored gemstones engraved on the armor, went into the colorful vortex.

"Gems with facets of day and night! Brilliant emerald of good fortune! Become one with the blue stone and create a new light! Fusion Summon! Come forth, one who illuminates all with its supreme radiance! Level 9! Gem-Knight Master Dia ( **ATK: 2900** , DEF: 2500, LV: 9)!" Master Dia appeared on Masumi's field.

Yaiba smirked as he saw Masumi's monster, "There it is! Masumi's ace monster!" Hokuto also smirked while he pointed at Shun, "This is LDS' Fusion Summoning!" Shun, however, didn't say anything but his eyes were trembling in anger as he looked at Lapis Lazuli and Master Dia.

Masumi held out her hand as she had a determined expression on her face, "Gem-Knight Master Dia gains 100 ATK for every "Gem-Knight" in my Graveyard! There are three in the graveyard, so Master Dia gains 300 ATK!" Three beams of light came from the Graveyard and powered up Master Dia in a colorful aura.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 2900** → **3200** )

She then pointed at Lapis Lazuli, "I activate Lapis Lazuli's effect! Once per turn, by sending a "Gem-Knight" from my Main or Extra Deck…" She took another Lapis Lazuli from her Extra Deck and showed it, "I can deal damage to my opponent equal to the number of Special Summoned monsters on the field times 500!" She sent the other Lazuli to the Graveyard as a result.

Yaiba got an excited look on his face, "There are six Special Summoned monsters on the field!" Hokuto was also excited, "If you multiply that by 500, that's…!"

Masumi glared at Shun, "That's right. You will take 3000 damage!" Lapis Lazuli formed a blue orb of energy before she launched toward Shun. It hit him which caused him to groan in pain as he gritted his teeth in response.

 **SHUN LP: 4000** → **1000**

Hokuto raised a fist in excitement, "Now the finishing blow!" Yaiba agreed, "Finish him, Masumi!"

Masumi held out her hand toward her monster, "I activate Gem-Knight Master Dia's monster effect! It can banish one Level 7 or lower "Gem-Knight" Fusion Monster from my Graveyard and gain its effects!" Lapis Lazuli was then banished as Master Dia gain her abilities. Masumi wasn't done, "I banish Lapis Lazuli and activate Master Dia's newly acquired Lapis Lazuli's effect! I send a "Gem-Knight" from my Deck to my Graveyard!" Masumi took a monster from her Main Deck and sended it to the Graveyard, "And with six monsters, you take 3000 damage!" Master Dia slammed his sword into the ground and sent a slash of energy towards Shun.

Yaiba was excited, "That's it!" Hokuto raised a fist, "We've won!" They were thinking they've definitely have won with Shun having no cards on his field.

However, Shun had a calm expression on his face as he held out his arm, "I activate the Trap Card: Raid Raptors - Readiness from my Graveyard! When I have a "Raid Raptors" in my Graveyard, I can banish this card to negate the damage!" His Trap Card was banished and then a force field formed around him, blocking the slash while negating the damage altogether.

Yaiba gritted his teeth in irritation, "Damn it! He managed to survive!" Hokuto still looked confident as he had a smirk on his face, "But his life is still at 1000! If Masumi attacks…" Yaiba then smirked as he knew what Hokuto was getting at and was right.

Shun closed his eyes, "Due to Readiness' effect, I take no damage for the rest of the turn."

Yaiba and Hokuto were shock when they heard that as Hokuto said, "Then, even if she attacks…" Yaiba and Hokuto turned to Masumi in concern.

Masumi gritted her teeth, "I...end my turn here."

Shun then opened his eyes and narrowed them as he looked at the three of them, "As I thought, I don't feel an iron determination or a steeled strength in your dueling!"

Yaiba glared at Shun, "What was that?!" Hokuto had a mocking expression on his face, "I'm amazed you can run your mouth when you're this badly cornered!"

Shun looked at them as he had a fire in his eyes, "That's right, because we were always badly beaten, cornered, and even fighting on the edge."

Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto were confused by what Shun just said as Yaiba said, "We?" Hokuto then just shrugged his shoulders and smiled, "What is this guy going on about?"

Shun glared at them, "But, we always had to stand up again! And finally overwhelming and eradicating our enemies!" His eyes widened in intensity as he drew his card, "My turn!" Masumi, Yaiba and Hokuto looked around as crows suddenly started flying away as is they were spooked by something.

Shun held up the card he drew, "I Normal Summon Raid Raptors - Backup Lanius ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 1400, LV: 4)!" Shun summoned a red mechanical bird monster that had amber wings and one orange eye in its head.

Shun gestured toward his deck, "When this card is successfully Summoned, I can add a "Raid Raptors" monster from my Deck to my hand!" Shun took another Fuzzy Lanius from his deck and added it to his hand.

He then showed the two Fuzzy Lanius in his hand, "Due to their effects, I Special Summon Raid Raptors - Fuzzy Lanius ( **ATK: 500** )!" Shun summoned two copies of Fuzzy Lanius on his field, making him have three Level 4 monsters.

Shun held out his hand, "I overlay my Level 4 Backup Lanius and two Fuzzy Lanius!" All three birds turned into dark energy that went into a portal in which a pillar of light came out of it as Shun chanted, "Obscured falcon, raise your sharpened talons in front of adversity, spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon ( **ATK: 100** , DEF: 2000, RNK: 4, OVU: 3)!" A mechanical falcon with cannons on his wings as well as four red glowing eyes appeared on the field as it screeched.

The LDS trio looked at the monster in shock and confusion as Hokuto said, "100 ATK…?" It is a Rank 4 monster but what is with the low amount of ATK?

Shun looked at them while Rise Falcon was in the air above, "This monster can attack all Special Summoned monsters on the field."

Yaiba had a mocking smile on his face, "What was that "eradicate" nonsense about? There's no way you can beat us with that low ATK!"

Shun just looked at them calmly, "I activate Rise Falcon's effect. By using one Overlay Unit, it gains ATK equal to the total ATK of all of my opponents' Special Summoned monsters!" One of the Overlay Units flew towards the LDS trio's monsters and disappeared. Then, a beam of light flew out of each of them, in a different color, and entered Rise Falcon, covering it in fire and power as it screeched ( **100 + 2700 + 2500 + 3300 + 2400 + 3100 + 2300 = 16400** ).

 **Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon** ( **ATK: 100** → **16400** )

Hokuto's eyes widened in utter shock, "1-16400!?" Masumi stared at it in shock as well, "No way!" Yaiba looked like he was scared, "Seriously?!" The three of them could only watch in shock as Rise Falcon was covered in fire and ready to strike them down.

Shun's eyes widened in intensity as he pointed at them, "Battle! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon! Rend and tear all of our enemies! Brave Claw Revolution!" Rise Falcon flew up in the air and circled around before it dove down and slashed through all of Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto's monsters, destroying each and every one of them. As they exploded, all three of them yelled as they were pushed back, causing them to fly into the ground hard enough for them to lose consciousness.

 **MASUMI LP: 4000** → **0  
** **YAIBA LP: 4000** → **0  
** **HOKUTO LP: 4000** → **0**

 **SHUN: WIN  
** **MASUMI, YAIBA, & HOKUTO: LOSE**

* * *

Yuzu was looking at Lucine cautiously, "Answer me, Lucine. What are you, Yuto, and that Shun guy trying to do? Especially with Masumi?"

Lucine narrowed her eyes before she sighed a little, "...That does not concern you. Besides…" She turned her head toward the end of the alleyway, "Shun might already be done by now."

Yuzu's eyes widened in shock, "What?" Did that mean something happened to Masumi? She was now a little concerned and confused as she still doesn't know what exactly is happening right now.

However, her thoughts were interrupted when both her and Lucine heard someone, "Lucine." They turned to see Yuto with a confused expression on his face as he was behind Lucine.

Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise as she saw who it was. Lucine looked at him in a calmly manner, "Yuto."

* * *

As Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto were unconscious, Shun just stood in front of them and stared at them. He then heard footsteps and turned his head toward where the sound was. He saw a lot of LDS officers, including Nakajima, standing behind him.

Shun closed his eyes, "Took you long enough, but I'm sick of fighting small fry!" He then turned toward them, "Bring me your boss!"

A voice then spoke up, "If you want me, I am right here." Shun got a shocked expression on his face as he saw the LDS officers moving aside and someone coming. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Reiji Akaka walking, out of the darkness, towards him with a serious expression on his face.

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Prelude the Melodious Diva  
** (LV: 4, Fairy, LIGHT, ATK: 1700, DEF: 1000)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Normal Summoned: You can add 1 "Melodious" monster from your Deck to your hand. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: You can Tribute this card; add 1 "Melodious" Magic or Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Prelude the Melodious Diva" once per turn.

 **Ghostrick Havoc** (Quick-Play Magic) - Target 1 Field Magic on the field: Destroy it and, if you do, Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Ghostrick" monster from your hand or Deck in face-down Defense Position.

 **Raid Raptors - Backup Lanius  
** (LV: 4, Winged-Beast, DARK, ATK: 1500, DEF: 1400)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If you control a "Raid Raptors" monster: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Raid Raptors" monster from your Deck to your hand except "Raid Raptors - Backup Lanius". You cannot Special Summon monsters the turn you activate either of this card's effects, except "Raid Raptors" monsters.

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **So I decided to have the duel between Yuzu and Lucine two chapters. This will be a first for me so I don't how exactly this is going to go but I figured it would be a good idea. The rest of the duel will conclude in the next chapter.**

 **And you know what, I'm going to do something fun. I'll put up a poll up in my profile and I want all of your opinions as to how do you think the duel between Yuzu and Lucine will end. This won't effect the result, I'm just curious about my readers' thoughts going into this. You guys don't have to if you don't want to. The poll will probably only be up for a couple days (maybe 3 or 4) so if you want to do it, you better do it as soon as possible.**

 **Also, I'm curious as to you guys' thoughts about Lucine and her deck so far and this poll might give me a clue. Or you can actually comment in the reviews. It don't matter to me.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Irregular Alliance -** Shun wants to use Reiji to help find Ruri and save his comrades; however, hearing his reasoning, Reiji offers Shun a deal. Meanwhile, Yuzu and Lucine continue to clash with each other in their duel. Afterwards...

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	19. Irregular Alliance

**I know this update took a while but thank you everyone for being so patient with this!**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter. I also like to thank** _ **tsukikami02**_ **,** _ **CarlosBlaster**_ **, and** _ **Green Phantom Queen**_ **for reviewing the last chapter as well. Here's some of my responses:**

 _ **Tsukikami02**_ **\- Thanks for the comments and I'm glad the Rin and Sora scene made you happy.**

 _ **CarlosBlaster**_ **\- Thanks for your opinion on Lucine's deck. Also, concerning Masumi, Yaiba and Hokuto, you'll find out soon in a later chapter. Thanks for reading. :)**

 _ **Green Phantom Queen**_ **\- I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I've actually always wanted to use Ghostricks in my story for awhile ever since I first heard of them. Otherwise, thank you.**

 _ **ThePLOThand**_ **\- I mean I understand why you would feel that way and I do agree that the part with Rune-Eyes was less impactful. Hey, there's just some stuff either I don't want or need to change. So, what are you gonna do? (Shrug) But, at least, thanks for the opinion on that chapter.**

 **With that said, let's get started.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19 - Irregular Alliance**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (NEARBY) LDS**

As Reiji was walking out of the darkness, Shun looked at him, "And you are…?"

Reiji stopped and adjusted his glasses, "Reiji Akaba." He then gave Shun a serious look, "Leo Corporation's current president."

Shun narrowed his eyes when he heard the name, "Reiji...Akaba…"

Shun stood in front of Shun as he looked at him, "The fact that you continued to assault parties related to Leo Corporation such as LDS in Maiami City means you wished you meet me. Am I correct?"

Shun chuckled while having a smirk on his face and his eyes were closed, "You're really him...Reiji Akaba." He finally meets the son of the Professor and it was about time. He opened his eyes, "The son of Leo Akaba?" He then pointed at himself as he had a confident smirk on his face, "I've been waiting for this moment. Now, come at me! Duel me!" He held up his duel disk that was still attached to his arm.

Reiji stared at Shun for a second before he had a serious expression on his face, "Before that, let me ask you as to why you're fighting me."

Shun narrowed his eyes at Reiji, "I have no reason to answer that."

Reiji narrowed his eyes as well, "It's most likely to rescue your comrades, correct?" Shun was taken aback and gasped a little in shock when he heard Reiji say that was exactly what this was about.

Reiji turned towards Masumi who was on the ground, "The girl collapsed behind you testified that you said something interesting when she first encountered you."

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION (REIJI'S OFFICE)_

 _Flashback (Yesterday)_

 _Reiji, as he was sitting in his desk with his hands under his chin, raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Ruri?" He heard the name Nakajima just mentioned when he gave him a testimony on what Masumi saw during that first encounter. Apparently, the man in the blue-purple coat said this, "Ruri! Is that you, Ruri? Where is she? Where is my s…?!" Apparently, he was cut off before he could continue._

 _Reiji narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he thought, "Is this the same Ruri that is staying with Yuzu Hiragi and Rin?" He remembered when he first encountered her and he had some suspicions about her origins. With how that sentence was cut off, it lead him to a theory he had about this man's relation with Ruri Kurosaki._

 _Nakajima, who was standing across his desk, looked at Reiji, "President, you think it is possible that is the same girl we've investigated before?"_

 _Reiji looked at his desk before he turned to face the window, "I'd say it would be too soon to jump to conclusions although I will say this does support some of my suspicions onto where Ruri and Rin came from." He turned to Nakajima, "I'll have to confront the culprit himself in order to determine that."_

 _Flashback End_

* * *

Shun narrowed his eyes at Reiji as he repeated what he said during that time he encountered Yuzu and that LDS girl. Reiji narrowed his eyes a little, "From that, I deduced that Ruri is to you, no, to all of you, a dear comrade."

Reiji saw Shun's eyes tremble a little as it was obvious she was a touchy subject to this man. After observing him for a couple seconds, he knew that look on that man's face: it was how someone would mostly react when worried about a family member. From remembering what the man said before he got cut off, he quickly deduced something.

Reiji looked in Shun in curiosity, "Tell me something, is your last name Kurosaki?" Shun's eyes widened in shock as he wondered how Reiji knew his last name.

Reiji closed his eyes in understanding, "Judging from your reaction, I imagine that is correct, yes? Then...Ruri Kurosaki is not a just a comrade to you but is also your sister."

Shun narrowed his eyes and glared at Reiji, "...So, you do know about my sister." He was slightly taken aback by this man's intuition and deduction, but then again he is the son of the Professor so maybe it shouldn't be much of a surprise. If Reiji actually knew about his sister, then this is the chance he has been waiting for as he actually might know about his sister's whereabouts.

Reiji continued as he ignored Shun's statement, "...And judging the circumstances, it would seem you are looking for your sister if you know she's in this city." Shun lowered his arm a little as he was listening to what Reiji was saying and acknowledged that Ruri is definitely here in this city.

Reiji turned his head back to Masumi, Yaiba and Hokuto, "And I imagine that is why you are continuing to attack LDS like this. You are hoping to find your sister through me, correct?"

Shun just stared at Reiji as he thought back to when he was asking why Yuto and Lucine stopped him when he was questioning Yuzu on Ruri's whereabouts.

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR_

 _Flashback (Two days ago)_

 _Yuto, Shun and Lucine were standing in between two warehouses at the harbor. Both Yuto and Lucine were finished telling Shun why exactly Lucine is here with them. Shun then questioned why they stopped him from asking about his sister._

 _Yuto had his back facing Shun and Lucine, "Shun, I understand what you were trying to do…" Yuto then turned around, "But, you have to realize that she is not involved with our problems and she doesn't need to be."_

 _Shun glared at him, "And what's wrong with me trying to find my sister? You know that Yuzu should know where Ruri is. You feel the same way, don't you?!" Yuto should want the same thing as he does, so why was he hesitating?_

 _Yuto calmly closed his eyes, "...And that's the problem." Shun was taken aback as Yuto looked at Shun in a serious manner, "Look, Shun, I hate to say it. But with your reckless behavior, things could have gotten worse than they already are. We already involved innocent people because of our search and Yuzu might not be willing to talk because of a misunderstanding."_

 _Shun gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in frustrated as he looked at the ground for a few seconds. However, Lucine came up to him and slapped him in the face, "Calm down, Shun. We need to focus." Shun's eyes widened in shock from the slap before he regained his composure and sighed, silently admitting that Yuto is right._

 _Once he calmed down, Shun narrowed his eyes at Yuto and Lucine, "I know that. But the attacks were to draw out LDS' boss, Reiji Akaba."_

 _Lucine raised an eyebrow, "The son of the Professor?" It was something only the three of them and the Resistance learned about recently before Yuto and Shun went to Standard. They have heard about this information from one of the soldiers of Academia along with the reasoning behind the invasion._

 _Yuto narrowed his eyes, "And that's why you've turned those people into cards and sent them to LDS? In order to draw the son of Leo Akaba?"_

 _Shun nodded his head as he held a fist up, "If we get our hands on him, we'll be able to use him to find Ruri and take down the Professor."_

 _Yuto sighed and placed a hand on his forehead in exasperation, "I don't approve of this method, not one bit! However...there is some logic to your plan, besides you won't change your mind no matter what I say, correct?" Shun nodded his head in resolve._

 _Yuto looked at Shun, "Then, do what you feel you have to do. Of course, I won't help you in attacking innocent people." Shun nodded as he knew Yuto would say that._

 _Yuto turned to Lucine who was in deep thought with her eyes closed, "Lucine?" Shun turned to her as well, wondering what she will say about this._

 _After a few seconds, Lucine sighed before opening her eyes, "I don't like it as well...but, unfortunately, it seems we don't have many other options."_

 _Flashback End_

* * *

Shun looked at Reiji with a smile on his face, "There's no doubt that Ruri is somewhere in this city. But I will find her!" He then pointed at Reiji, "In order to do that, I just need you!"

Reiji narrowed his eyes lightly, "Just as I thought." Shun looked at him confused before Reiji continued, "So to put it simply, you want to use me in order to find your sister and possibly use me as a hostage."

Shun narrowed his eyes and glared at Reiji again, "That's right. I am aware that Leo Corporation is well known around this city and has surveillance over it as well. You must know where my sister should be. On top of that, the other reason I kept attacking LDS and sent you the cards with the souls sealed inside, it was all draw you out! With my comrades in captivity, if I have his son as a bartering chip, then even Leo Akaba will be unable to say _no_!"

Reiji looked at Shun for a second before closing his eyes, "I wonder about that." Shun looked at him shocked, "What?"

Reiji continued, "I have a hard time believing that he values me that much."

Shun narrowed his eyes as he held up a fist, "What do you mean? Why wouldn't he care about what happens to his own son?"

Reiji adjusted his glasses while he turned his head to the side, "Well, never mind that. It's not important right now. If you wish to fight me, I have no objections. However…" He then looked at Shun, "...I have one condition."

Shun was then confused by this, "A condition?"

Reiji then smiled a little, "If you alone fulfill my conditions, then I'll gladly be your opponent." He then turned his back against, "And if you win, you can do whatever you want."

"Also…" He turned his head to face Shun one more time, "You are correct. I do know where your sister is and you don't have to worry. She is safe for now." Shun's eyes widened in surprise as Reiji confirmed that his sister is actually safe.

Reiji started to walk away and then Shun called out to him, "Hey, wait a minute!" However, Reiji didn't stop and continued to walk away with Nakajima following him. The LDS officers remained looking at Shun while he glared at them before he sighed, deciding to go along with whatever Reiji wanted him to do if it would eventually help him get his sister back.

* * *

 **YUZU LP: 1850** ; _Yuzu's hand: 4  
_ **LUCINE LP: 4000** ; _Lucine's hand: 2_

On the field between Yuzu and Lucine, Ghostrick Dullahan ( **ATK: 1400** , **OVU: 1** ), Alucard ( **ATK: 1800** , **OVU: 1** ) were on Lucine's side along with three set monsters and a face-down while Yuzu had nothing on her field.

Yuto, however, was looking on in confusion and wondered why Yuzu and Lucine were having a duel nearby where Shun went. Did Lucine start this or Yuzu? Regardless, he doesn't think there's any reason for them to duel at all right now.

Yuto turned to Lucine with narrowed eyes, "Lucine, what's going on here? Why are you dueling Yuzu?"

Lucine stared at Yuto for a few seconds before she sighed when she saw the confusion on his face. She turned to Yuto with a frown on her face, "I'm doing things my way, Yuto."

Yuto's eyes widened a little bit, "What?" He wondered what she is talking about.

Lucine pointed at Yuzu while keeping her glance towards Yuto, "Look, you may trust that girl, but I don't. As much as I want to believe in your words Yuto, you know damn well that girl may have put Ruri in danger because of your first encounter with that agent."

Yuto, starting to see why Lucine is against trusting Yuzu right now, lowered his eyes a little in hesitation, "Well...that may be true. But…" Yuto turned to look at Yuzu, who had a look of confusion and curiosity on her face right now. He then turned back to Lucine, "She is innocent in all of this. She doesn't know about our situation. You know that." While Yuzu may have potentially put Ruri in danger, all he knows for now is that Ruri is safe according to Yuzu. From what he gathered and heard, Yuzu apparently doesn't know about their situation given the fact that she isn't aware of Sora's true intentions. While he wonders what exactly Ruri told her, as far as he knows, Yuzu doesn't know anything about them. So he doesn't really blame her for what happened. He thought Lucine would feel the same as well but the look on her face told her she was being stubborn.

Lucine just narrowed her eyes in response, "Even if that is true, she's an outsider. She has no business getting involved in this. I don't know her that well so I'm trying to see if she's actually worth trusting right now." While she somewhat understands how Yuto feels, the people of Standard aren't involved in their conflict and they don't need to be.

Lucine's expression then turned a little softer, "Besides, do you really want her to get involved in all of this?" She knows that Yuto feels the same when it comes to being unwillingly to involve innocent people. Yuto didn't say anything as he looked to the side with a frown on his face.

"What are you talking about?!" Lucine and Yuto were taken aback for a second and turned their heads to see Yuzu having an irritated expression on her face. She heard mostly everything they said to each other and got angry from hearing the last few sentences Lucine said. Yuzu looked at them with narrowed eyes, "I have no business getting involved? I may not know what's going on but I think I have a right to know. And just who are you people anyway?" Ever since she met Yuto, something has been bugging her about him the past couple of days. With him being Ruri's friend and supposedly attacking LDS along with Shun and Lucine, there is definitely something suspicious going on around here. She has a feeling Ruri might know why but doesn't want to tell her out of fear for "her own safety." She doesn't know what she could be in danger from but she'll decide if she wants to help out her friends or not.

Lucine narrowed her eyes from seeing the sincerity and determination in her voice before turning to Yuto, "You may not agree with this but it is how I'm going to judge her. You can either watch or not watch at all." As Lucine stepped forward to continue the duel, Yuto looked at the ground with a frown on his face. He knew that Lucine was going to continue whether he liked it or not. Deciding to go along with it, he reluctantly sighed before turning his eyes to the duel.

Lucine raised her duel disk in readiness, "Let's continue the duel. You wanna know what we're after? Then, earn my trust and we'll see."

Yuzu narrowed her eyes before, after a few seconds, placed her fingers on her deck, "It's my turn, I draw!"

She drew her card and added it to her hand before taking out another, "I activate the Continuous Magic: The Fountain in the Sky!" Yuzu placed the card in her duel disk before a giant pillar of light shined behind Yuzu and a floating island with an ancient white fountain appeared from it.

"Then, I activate the Magic Card: Melodious Callback. With this card, I can add 2 "Melodious" monsters from my Graveyard back to my hand. I add Sonata and Prelude back to my hand." Yuzu took the two monsters from her duel disk and added them to her hand.

She then held up another monster in her hand, "Since I don't control any monsters but my opponent does, I can Special Summon Solo the Melodious Songstress ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4) from my hand!" Solo was brought out onto Yuzu's side of the field.

Yuzu held out her hand, "Next, I Normal Summon Prelude the Melodious Diva **(ATK: 1700** ) again!" Prelude then appeared in a dancing fashion.

"When Prelude is Normal Summoned, I can add a "Melodious" monster from my Deck to my hand." She added Tamtam to her hand due to Prelude's effect.

"Finally, due to her effect, I Special Summon Sonata the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1200** ) once again!" Sonata was then brought out next to Prelude and Solo. Yuzu pointed at Sonata, "Sonata's monster effect. As long as this Special Summoned card is on the field, all of my Fairy-type monsters gain 500 ATK and DEF!"

 **Solo the Melodious Songstress** ( **ATK: 1600** → **2100** , DEF: 1000→1500)  
 **Prelude the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 1700** → **2200** , DEF: 1000→1500)  
 **Sonata the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 1200** → **1700** , DEF: 1000→1500)

Yuzu looked at Lucine's field with a cautious expression on her face, " _Does she have anything like Ghostrick Parade this time?"_ Based on what happened with Lucine's cards before, Yuzu was restricted on what to attack. There's no Field Magics on the field but she can't feel get rid of the feeling that something is up.

Lucine, seeing the cautiousness on Yuzu's face, closed her eyes, "...I get it. You're wondering if I have something like Ghostrick Parade, do you?" Yuzu narrowed her eyes, a little taken aback by what she said, before Lucine opened her eyes at her, "Well, since you're wondering, Ghostrick Alucard's effect makes you unable to attack other face-up "Ghostrick" monsters or face-down monsters I control except for Alucard. That means you can only attack Alucard right now."

Yuzu frowned before she pointed at Solo, "Even so, I battle! I attack Ghostrick Alucard with Solo!" Solo flew straight towards Alucard while lunging her leg, ready to take down Lucine's monster.

However, Lucine simply closed her eyes, "Did you forget about Dullahan's effect? By using an Overlay Unit, your monster's ATK is halved until the end of the turn." As Dullahan's last Overlay Unit vanished, it swung its sword, creating a shockwave that hit Solo.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **OVU: 1** → **0** )  
 **Solo the Melodious Songstress** ( **ATK: 2100** → **1050** )

Then, as soon as Solo was a few feet away from Alucard, Alucard caught Solo's leg with its hand while laughing. He gathered a ball of dark energy in his other hand and unleashed it on Solo, destroying her.

 **YUZU LP: 1850** → **1100**

Yuzu, however, gave off a small smile, "I didn't forget anything." She held out her hand, "I activate Solo the Melodious Diva's monster effect! When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a "Melodious" monster from my Deck!"

Yuzu took a monster from her Deck before she pointed at Fountain in the Sky, "Next, I activate The Fountain in the Sky's effect. When a LIGHT monster I control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can banish that monster in order to gain LP equal to her ATK." Solo was banished from Yuzu's Graveyard and then light particles from the fountain shined from the water and gathered around Yuzu, bathing her in a soothing light.

 **YUZU LP: 1100** → **2700**

Yuzu placed the monster she added onto her duel disk, "And from Solo's effect, I summon Pendulum Mozart the Melodious Maestra ( **ATK: 2600** → **3100** , DEF: 2000→2500, LV: 8, PS: 5) from my Deck!" Yuzu's ace monster appeared on the field from a grandeur stage.

Yuto looked at Yuzu in curiosity, " _So, she purposely took a risk in attacking in order to increase her LP and get a stronger monster on the field."_ He has to admit that it was a nice move. However, as he turned his head toward Lucine, he saw that she wasn't fazed by it, " _But...that isn't going to faze her one bit."_ But then, something bothered him when he heard the name of the monster Yuzu summoned and narrowed his eyes, " _Pendulum?"_ Wasn't that something he heard once from Yuzu and Sora?

Yuzu held out her hand, "Pendulum Mozart attacks Ghostrick Alucard!" Mozart waved her baton as she was about to attack.

Lucine, however, pressed a button on her duel disk, "I activate the Continuous Trap: Ghostrick Rollshift." Yuzu was taken aback a little before Lucine continued, "With this card on my field, once per turn, during the Battle Phase, I can choose to activate one of its two effects. I choose the second one where I target a face-down monster I control and switch it to face-up Attack Position."

Lucine pointed at one of her face-downs, "I switch Ghostrick Yeti ( **ATK: 300** , DEF: 2000, LV: 3) into Attack Position!" A card flipped face-up and a blue, ghostly yeti creature with snow blue fur and yellow tips.

Lucine looked at Yuzu, "And since the card I flipped face-up was a Ghostrick, I change one of your monsters into face-down Defense Position!" Mozart's card appeared below and took her by surprise before it flipped face-down, forcing her into that position and stopped her attack. Yuzu gritted her teeth a little from seeing her monster stopped like that.

Lucine then held out her hand, "Furthermore, because Ghostrick Yeti was flipped face-up, its effect activates. I target 1 "Ghostrick" monster on the field and it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn. I choose my Alucard!" Alucard laughed again as it was surrounded in a white aura, offering protection this turn.

Yuzu frowned a little in frustration, " _Great."_ Since Alucard was the only monster she can attack, Lucine is technically safe with all of her other monsters protected as well.

"And lastly, because Yeti and Rollshift were flipped face-up, Ghostrick Dullahan gains more ATK for each of those cards." Dullahan gain 200 ATK for every face-up Ghostrick card Lucine controls so he gains 400 ATK from those other two.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 1400** → **1800** )

Yuzu narrowed her eyes before she pointed at Prelude, "Then, I attack Alucard with Prelude the Melodious Diva!" Prelude spun around before she kicked Alucard in the chest but Alucard wasn't destroyed as Lucine simply brushed some dirt off her shoulder.

 **LUCINE LP: 4000** → **3600**

Yuzu took two cards and placed them in her duel disk, "I set two cards and end my turn."

Lucine stared at Yuzu for a few seconds before placing her fingers on her deck, "My turn, draw."

She added the card she drew to her hand before she held out her hand towards Alucard, "I use the last Overlay Unit of Alucard in order to destroy your face-down monster!" Alucard's last Overlay Unit vanished before it shot a blast from its fingertips and destroyed the face-down Mozart.

 **Ghostrick Alucard** ( **OVU: 1** → **0** )

Lucine threw out her arm, "Next, I Flip Summon Ghostrick Jiangshi ( **ATK: 400** )!" A card flipped face-up and Jiangshi appeared on the field again.

Lucine gestured her arm that was holding her duel disk, "Ghostrick Jiangshi's effect activates. When this card is flipped face-up, I can add a "Ghostrick" from my Deck to my hand that has a Level less than or equal to the number of Ghostricks I control." There are four face-up Ghostricks on Lucine's field as she took a card from her Deck and showed it, "I add the Level 4 Ghostrick Gargoyle to my hand." And because Jiangshi was flipped face-up, Dullahan gains more strength.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 1800** → **2000** )

Lucine held out her hand, "Battle. And since it is now my Battle Phase, I activate the effect of Ghostrick Rollshift! I switch one of my monsters to face-up Attack Position!" A card flipped face-up and Ghostrick Frost ( **ATK: 800** ) appeared again on the field. Lucine pointed at Yuzu, "And since it was a Ghostrick, I force Sonata into face-down Defense Position!" Yuzu narrowed her eyes as Sonata was forced into face-down position.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2200** )

Lucine looked at Yuzu, "And since Sonata is no longer face-up, her effect isn't active anymore."

 **Prelude the Melodious Diva** ( **ATK: 2200** → **1700** , DEF: 1500→1000)

She then pointed at Yuzu's monsters, "Dullahan attacks Prelude the Melodious Diva!" The horse galloped again before Dullahan charged straight towards Prelude.

Yuzu smiled a little before she retaliated by pressing a button on her duel disk, "I won't let you! I activate the Trap Card: Melodious Harmony Halt! When my opponent's monster attacks a "Melodious" monster I control, that attack is negated!" Dullahan turned its horse around and went back to Lucine as its attack was stopped.

Yuzu held up a fist in determination, "And then, I can Special Summon a "Melodious" from my hand or GY. I bring back Aria the Melodious Diva ( **DEF: 1200** )!" Aria appeared back on Yuzu's field with her arms in front of herself.

Lucine narrowed her eyes, " _Because of her effect, Aria protects her monsters from being destroyed by battle or card effects."_ Regardless, she pointed at Prelude again, "It doesn't matter to me. I attack Prelude with Ghostrick Alucard! Blood Screech!" Alucard cackled and unleashed a ghostly wail of red energy at Prelude, but she wasn't destroyed as both Prelude and Yuzu grunted a little from the attack.

 **YUZU LP: 2700** → **2600**

Lucine looked at her monsters, "I activate the other effects of Yeti, Jiangshi, and Frost. All three of them are changed back to face-down Defense Position." The cards appeared below all three monsters before they each flipped back face-down.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2200** → **1600** )

Yuzu looked at the face-down monsters, " _If I don't do something, she's just going to keep using them for their effects."_ She had to figure out a way to get out of this combo.

Lucine placed two cards in her duel disk, "I set two cards and end my turn." Lucine then closed her eyes and had a serious expression on her face, "So, is that it?"

Yuzu looked a little confused, "Huh?"

Lucine opened her eyes and narrowed them, "Is that all your dueling has to offer? Because I'm not seeing an iron will of determination from you much."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

"That is wonderful, Yuya!" Yuya was in his room with his deck on the nightstand. He was holding his duel duel in front of himself as Nico was on the screen through the call. Nico had an excited smile on his face as he rubbed his hands in anticipation, "To think you would encounter someone well-known as Kylian Orman."

Yuya raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "He's really well-known? How do you mean?" He wondered if Nico somehow knew who he was based on how excited he was seeing him getting ever since he told Nico news that he was challenged by Kylian today.

"You'll find out soon enough." Nico said that as he was still smiling before he held out his hand, "But...I must warn you that this may be one of your toughest challenges yet."

Yuya, seeing Nico's sincerity, couldn't help but smirk in excitement, "Well, if that is true, then I'll give everything I've got."

Nico waved his arms in happiness, "Wonderful! I knew you wouldn't back down from a challenge like this! We'll speak more about this tomorrow! _Au revoir_!" Nico waved goodbye before the screen went black as the call ended.

Yuya put his duel disk away and then stared at the ceiling, " _I wonder what kind of challenge I'll experience with him."_ At first, if he was honest, he thought Kylian might be just a pushover considering how tough his gang members were before but now it might not be the case. He wonders what kind of duelist exactly he is especially with what he said before: " _Duelists have such different opinions on the word honor...What I want is a challenge."_

Yuya looked at his pendant as he held it up, "A challenge, huh?" The more he thought about it, it almost made sense as to why those two bullies from before wanted Chihaya in the first place. Since she was apparently well-known in the pro circuit, maybe that was why they bothered her in the first place, so they could take her to Kylian for whatever reason. Although, he doesn't know much about Kylian so maybe he'll ask him about that tomorrow.

Yuya sighed a little in sadness as he was reminded a little about what happened with Chihaya before. Honestly, the fact that he lost was surprising but it wasn't what upset him. In fact, it probably made him even more excited to face her again since she is so strong. However, he was still bothered by the fact that he couldn't get through to her regarding her situation. He also wished he knew more about whatever this "curse" she has.

However, his thoughts were interrupted when Odd-Eyes appeared from his card in miniature transparent form again, " _Still thinking about Chihaya back then?"_ He sensed that Yuya has troubled a little for awhile ever since he lost to her.

Yuya closed his eyes, "Yeah. I'm just...sad that I couldn't help her right now."

" _Well, when we see her again, I'm certainly you'll be able to get through to her somehow."_ Odd-Eyes said that with confidence.

Yuya smiled a little, "Heh. Thanks, Odd-Eyes." However, after a few seconds, his face then had a confused expression on it, "Oh, yeah. Odd-Eyes, what were you about to say about this _hesitation_ from earlier?" He wanted to hear Odd-Eyes' story before Kylian interrupted him and prevented him from speaking.

Yuya kept staring at the ceiling as he was waiting for Odd-Eyes to respond. After around half a minute of silence, Yuya sighed, "You don't have to say anything if…"

Odd-Eyes interrupted him, " _No. I'll tell you."_ Yuya raised himself upwards to look at Odd-Eyes who had a look of confusion on his face. Yuya, seeing his partner was willing to talk, nodded his head in response.

Odd-Eyes looked at the bedsheet for a second before he looked at Yuya, " _Well...honestly, it's more of confusion than hesitation really."_

Yuya raised an eyebrow, "Confusion? About what?"

" _I think...it has something to do with what you said before that one dream. Do you remember when you mentioned four different dragons that one time?"_ Odd-Eyes said that with certainty in his eyes.

Yuya made a face, remembering that one time, "Yeah, I remember. It was a little bit after I met Sora." Yuya turned his head back to Odd-Eyes, "So, what does that have to do anything?"

Odd-Eyes lowered his head as he looked confused, " _Well...I don't know why but ever since you said that. I've had these weird feelings lately."_

Yuya was a little lost, "What are you talking about?"

Odd-Eyes looked at Yuya, " _It's like I had this weird burning in my chest when you said that for some reason. And...I also felt like something seemed familiar when you said those words."_

" _Like...I'm suppose to remember something important but nothing comes to mind. It's just a feeling I've had."_ Odd-Eyes said that with both hesitation and certainty.

Yuya thought about what Odd-Eyes said for a second before he came to a conclusion, "So...you don't know or maybe even remember why you're feeling this way?"

Odd-Eyes nodded his head, " _Yeah. It has been bugging me for awhile. I didn't tell you before cause I didn't know exactly how or why I was feeling this way until a day or two ago."_

Yuya crossed his arms together as he had a thinking expression on his face, " _Hmm...What could this mean?"_ Odd-Eyes said that he started feeling like this ever since he mentioned about "four different dragons" in a dream he had before but it seemed like it wasn't that important before. He suddenly remembered that he neglected to mention that one of the dragons he saw looked like Odd-Eyes himself since he had other things on his mind at the moment. But since he just remembered that, he figured he should say something about right now.

" _Mind if I get involved in this?"_ However, before Yuya could speak, both him and Odd-Eyes heard another voice and then Mystic Glow appeared from his card in miniature transparent form as well.

Yuya was a little surprised to see Mystic as well before he smiled, "Mystic, how are you feeling?"

Mystic turned his head to Yuya, " _I am well. And I've been feeling better ever since you started using me again."_ Yuya nodded in happiness as he knew how much Mystic wanted to duel again. Mystic then turned to Odd-Eyes, " _However, I couldn't help but listen to your conversation, Odd-Eyes."_

Odd-Eyes let out a sigh, " _Even when not active, you're still looking out for Yuya and the rest of us."_ Most of Yuya's monsters do still watch over what happens with Yuya even if they aren't in these forms.

Mystic nodded his head, " _To watch over the safety of my friends and master, that is my duty."_ Mystic then turned to Yuya, " _Now then, I heard about everything you said, Yuya. So I have a question: what did these dragons look like in your dream?"_ For some reason, Mystic said that seriousness in his voice as it sounded like he needed to know right away.

Yuya was taken aback for a second before he had his hand under his chin and was thinking about it. He looked at the ceiling as he then spoke, "Well...I couldn't really see what they looked like but I did see they were each glowing a different color." Yuya held up his fingers and counted, "One was glowing purple, another was glowing gray, the third was glowing white, and the last one was both red and green." He turned his head toward Odd-Eyes, "And...I think the red and green dragon was you, Odd-Eyes."

Odd-Eyes' pupils widened a little in surprise, " _Me?"_ Why would he be in a dream involving those other three dragons?

Mystic, however, lowered his head and frown as he thought, " _It is as I suspected…"_ Since he heard the dream Yuya had and Odd-Eyes feeling strange involving three other dragons, his suspicions were confirmed to be true. He turned his head to Odd-Eyes, wondering if he might soon remember who he really is.

Yuya noticed that Mystic was unusually quiet and raised an eyebrow, "Mystic? Are you okay?" Odd-Eyes turned and noticed that the dragon seemed troubled about something.

Mystic raised his head, " _Yes. I am fine. I was just thinking."_

Odd-Eyes narrowed his eyes a little, " _Do you know something about this, Mystic?"_

Mystic turned to Odd-Eyes in seriousness, " _...No. I don't. But I might have a theory."_ Yuya and Odd-Eyes moved a little closer to listen better as Mystic continued, " _If what you're saying is true, then maybe something might happen if you ever encounter one of these dragons."_ Mystic looked at Yuya, " _I don't know why Odd-Eyes was in your dream but maybe if you ever find one of those other dragons, Odd-Eyes can figure out why he's feeling like this."_

Yuya, hearing his theory, smiled a little, "I see. Like maybe Odd-Eyes can finally remember something important." He then frowned as he crossed his arm together, "But...I don't know where or who these dragons belong to."

" _It's fine, Yuya."_ Yuya turned his head to Odd-Eyes who smiled, " _I don't have to know why I'm feeling like this. It's not like it is important. But this doesn't change anything for us, partner."_

Yuya smirked as he nodded, "Yeah. You bet." He looked at Mystic, "I'm glad to have you as well, Mystic." Mystic bowed his head, " _Thank you."_

Odd-Eyes then smirked a little, " _Besides, with your personality, we're bound to duel a lot of people and eventually find them."_

Yuya chuckled a little, "You say that like it's a bad thing." All three of them then laughed a little from the humor in all of this.

However, Mystic stopped laughed and smiled at Yuya and Odd-Eyes enjoying themselves. He then looked a little grim, " _So, it has finally begun. He's planning on returning."_ He stared at Yuya and Odd-Eyes before Mystic narrowed his eyes in determination, " _So be it. But as their friend, I will protect the both of them!"_ They have to be ready for what's coming in the future especially for Yuya's sake.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - (NEARBY) LDS**

 **YUZU LP: 2600** ; _Yuzu's hand: 1  
_ **LUCINE LP: 3600** ; _Lucine's hand: 2_

Yuzu looked confused as she narrowed her eyes, "What are you talking about?" Lucine just said something about her having no iron will in her dueling which honestly is insulting to her.

Lucine stared at her for a second before she closed her eyes, "You may be a decent duelist and have some determination, but your skills seem like they have not experienced actual combat." After around a couple turns, Lucine concluded that Yuzu is not affiliated with Academia as her dueling showed it. She's just an innocent bystander who doesn't know anything about their situation.

Yuzu frowned as she raised a fist, "Actual combat? I've faced a lot of duelists…!"

Lucine interrupted her, "That's not what I am talking about." Yuzu was taken aback before she saw the seriousness in Lucine's eyes.

"Unlike you, we've had to strengthen ourselves and steel our resolve in order take down our foes!" Lucine said that with a fire in her eyes as she glared at Yuzu.

Yuzu was taken aback and looked confused, " _Steel their resolve in order to take down their enemies…?"_ She had no idea what Lucine was talking about.

"Lucine." However, Lucine and Yuzu turned to see Yuto with a serious expression as he looked at Lucine, almost like he was scolding her silently.

Lucine stared at Yuto before she sighed and turned back to Yuzu, "Forgive me, I almost lost my composure for a moment." She then opened her eyes, "It's your move."

Yuzu narrowed her eyes as she pondered what Lucine said. Now, she was really curious as to what she was talking about and does it have something to do with what they're doing with Masumi?

She had to put that thought aside for now to focus. She shook her head before she placed her fingers on her deck, "My turn, I draw!"

However, before Yuzu could make a move, Lucine held out her hand, "I activate the Continuous Trap: Ghostrick Night! With this card on my field, as long as a "Ghostrick" monster is on the field, my opponent cannot Flip Summon." The trap flipped face-up as a dark aura surrounded Sonata's face-down card.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 1600** → **1800** )

Yuzu narrowed her eyes as that meant she can't bring her monsters back face-up if Lucine switches them. She have to be a little careful with that card in effect.

Yuzu placed a card in her duel disk, "From my hand, I activate the Magic Card: Singer's Anchor! Since I control at least 2 "Melodious" monsters, I can draw 2 cards!" Because of her magic card, Yuzu was able to draw two cards from her deck.

Yuzu showed another card, "Next, I activate the Magic Card: Musical Oscillation! By discarding a card from my hand, I can add 2 "Melodious" Pendulum Monsters from my Deck to my hand." Yuzu took Tamtam from her hand and discarded it to the Graveyard before she took Chora and Contralto from her Deck and added them to her hand.

Lucine, however, narrowed her eyes in confusion, " _What is this Pendulum she's talking about?"_ From what Yuzu said, it sounded like some type of Monster Card but she had never heard of it before.

Yuto narrowed his eyes in confusion as well, " _Pendulum again…"_ He was wondering what exactly is this "Pendulum" he keeps hearing about and he has a feeling he might find out now.

Yuzu, to their confusion, then held up and showed two cards in her hand, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 Chora the Melodious Diva and Scale 9 Contralto the Melodious Songstress!" She placed the cards on her duel disk with Chora and Contralto both appearing in blue pillars of light.

Lucine's eyes widened in confusion, "What?" Yuto's eyes widened as well as they were both shocked and confused by what was happening.

Yuzu raised her head to look at her monsters as she chanted, "With this, I can summon monsters from Levels 3 to 8 at the same time! Musical melody songs that reach people's hearts! Awaken to Pendulum on this grandeur stage! Pendulum Summon!" Yuzu took a card from her Extra Deck and held it up, "Appear, my beautiful singer!" One monster appeared from the portal, "Return from the Extra Deck, Pendulum Mozart the Melodious Maestra ( **ATK: 2600** )!" The curtains rolled back as Mozart appeared back on Yuzu's field with her baton ready.

Lucine narrowed her eyes as she was even more confused, "Pendulum Summon…? I've never heard of that method." She and Yuto already knew about Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz from the other dimensions but there was no mention of anything called Pendulum Summoning let alone reside in Standard. From what she heard, she was also caught off guard by the fact that Yuzu said she summoned Mozart from the Extra Deck. She wondered how that was possible.

Yuto was more shocked than Lucine as he was just watching the duel but couldn't help his shock over this new summoning method he was seeing, " _Pendulum Summon…"_ Even he wondered what exactly it is.

Yuzu held out her hand, "You'll be more surprised for what's in store! I activate Chora the Melodious Diva's Pendulum Effect! When I Pendulum Summon a "Melodious" monster, I can add a Ritual Magic or LIGHT Ritual Monster from my Deck to my hand." Chora sung her song as Yuzu took _Hymn of Blessing_ from her Deck and added it to her hand.

Lucine was a little surprised by what she heard, "A Ritual Magic?" She had heard of Ritual Summoning since coming to this dimension but wasn't aware that this girl used it. Lucine turned her narrowed eyes towards Yuzu's Pendulum Scales, " _Not only that, but these "Pendulum Monsters" also have some sort of an additional effect."_ Although, she wasn't sure what to think about these types of monsters. She had to put her thoughts aside to focus on the duel.

Yuzu threw out her arm, "I switch Aria the Melodious Diva into Attack Position." Aria moved her arms aside as she was ready to fight.

 **Aria the Melodious Diva** ( **DEF: 1200** → **ATK: 1600** )

"Battle! Mozart attacks Ghostrick Alucard! Graceful Song!" Mozart waved her baton which created a blast that went towards Alucard as Mozart started singing.

Lucine narrowed her eyes before she pointed at her trap, "I activate the effect of Ghostrick Rollshift and switch one of my face-down monsters. I summon Ghostrick Yeti ( **ATK: 300** )!" Yeti's card flipped face-up before it appeared back on the field as Lucine continued, "And with Yeti being a "Ghostrick", I force your Mozart into face-down Defense Position!" Mozart was interrupted as her card flipped her face-down, stopping her attack.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 1800** → **2000** )

Lucine looked at Yuzu, "And then Ghostrick Yeti's effect activates. I target my Alucard and it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn!" Alucard was glowing as it was receiving protection from Yeti.

Yuzu, however, narrowed her eyes as she held up a card, "Not this time! I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Forbidden Holy Grail! I target a monster on the field and for the rest of the turn, its effects are negated and it gains 400 ATK! I choose your Ghostrick Yeti!" Alucard's barrier was broken as Yeti's effect was now negated, making Lucine grit her teeth a little in frustration.

 **Ghostrick Yeti** ( **ATK: 300** → **700** )

Yuzu then pressed a button on her duel disk, "That's not all! I activate the Continuous Trap: Miraculous Light Descent which lets bring back my banished Solo ( **ATK: 1600** ) to my field!" A portal opened up and Solo appeared back on the field.

Yuzu pointed at Alucard, "I attack Alucard with Solo!" Solo went to kick Alucard, but Alucard caught Solo's leg again and destroyed her with a blast of energy from his fingertips.

 **YUZU LP: 2600** → **2400**

Yuzu brushed off the damage as she held a fist, "I activate Fountain in the Sky's effect! I banish Solo from my Graveyard in order to gain LP!" Solo was once again banished just as she was destroyed.

 **YUZU LP: 2400** → **4000**

"Now I activate Solo's effect! When she is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a "Melodious" from my Deck!" Yuzu took a monster from her Deck and showed it, "So I summon Laureate François the Melodious Maestra ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1700, LV: 7)!" Laureate appeared on Yuzu's field next to her other monsters.

Yuzu smiled a little as she pointed at Alucard, "Now, I attack Alucard with Laureate François!" Laureate played on her keyboard, making a storm of musical notes appear that blasted through and destroyed Alucard.

 **LUCINE LP: 3600** → **3100**

Lucine just narrowed her eyes before she gestured toward her deck, "Alucard's effect activates. When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I'm allowed to add one other "Ghostrick" card from my Graveyard to my hand." She took Lantern from her Graveyard and added it to her hand. Also, since Alucard left the field, Dullahan also lost some ATK.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2000** → **1800** )

"Aria now attacks Ghostrick Yeti!" Aria flew straight towards Yeti.

However, Lucine held up the card she just added to her hand, "I activate the effect of Ghostrick Lantern in my hand! I negate your attack and Special Summon this card in face-down Defense Position! This effect can also be activated if my "Ghostrick" monster is targeted for an attack!" Lantern appeared momentarily as it bumped into Aria, stopping her attack as Lucine placed the card face-down on her field.

Yuzu pointed at Prelude, "Then I'll have Prelude attack Yeti instead!" Prelude then went forward and kicked Yeti in the face, destroying the monster and making Lucine kneel down a little from the damage.

 **LUCINE LP: 3100** → **2100  
** **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 1800** → **1600** )

Yuzu held out her hand, "I activate Prelude the Melodious Diva's monster effect! When she destroys a monster by battle, I can tribute this card in order to add a "Melodious" Magic or Trap from my Deck to my hand!" Prelude was released from the field as Yuzu added _Melodious Illusion_ from her Deck.

Lucine got back up as she had a stern expression on her face. Yuzu held up a fist as she smiled, "How do you like that?" She managed to break part of her combo while also dealing damage to her.

Lucine stared at Yuzu for a second before she closed her eyes, "...Well done. It seems you do have somewhat of an iron determination in you." She has admit that Yuzu has exceeded her expectations far above an average duelist in this dimension and she does have spirit as well. It reminded her of how duels were at home back then.

"However…" But then, Lucine opened her eyes in sheer intensity as she looked at Yuzu, "...my will is stronger than yours!" Yuzu was taken aback a little as she didn't where this intensity was coming from.

Yuto looked at Lucine, " _Here it comes…"_ He could tell that Lucine was just observing Yuzu at first but now she's getting more serious about this duel. He then turned his eyes to Yuzu, curious as to how she will respond once Lucine makes her move.

Lucine pressed a button and threw out her arm, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Rank-Up-Magic - Ghostrick Soul Revitalization!" A Magic Card flipped face-up on Lucine's side of the field as it glowed.

Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise and confusion, "Rank-Up-Magic?" She had never heard of that kind of card before and wondered what it does.

Lucine held out her hand, "When my "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster is destroyed this turn, I can bring it back to the field and make it Rank Up to a "Ghostrick" monster that is 1 Rank higher!" Alucard was brought back into the field before it turned into dark energy that went into a white portal.

Yuzu was then shocked by what she heard, "Wait, what did you say?!"

"King of the blood undead, release your soul into your new form! Hunt down your desires and be reborn with revitalization! Rank Up! Xyz Change! Arise, Rank 4! Ghostrick Dracula ( **ATK: 2100** , DEF: 1800, RNK: 4, OVU: 1)!" Lucine summoned a vampire that looked similar to Alucard except he was taller, the cloak was bloody red instead of black, and his hair was black instead of white.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 1600** → **1800** )

Yuzu could only watch in surprise as she saw Lucine's new monster, "Rank Up…" This is something she has never heard of when it comes to Xyz Summoning. To think you can actually do something like that. And since it is a new Xyz Monster, she doesn't know what effects it might have.

Yuzu decided to think about it later as she regained her composure and looked at Lucine in amazement, "Amazing, I didn't know that was possible." She couldn't help but feel impressed by it.

Lucine just narrowed her eyes as she waiting on Yuzu to finish, "...Are you done with your turn?" Although, she couldn't help but feel confused by Yuzu's statement. If she didn't know about Rank Up, then it leads to wonder what exactly is her relationship with Ruri all about.

Yuzu shook her head before she pointed at her monster, "I activate Laureate François' effect which lets me target a Fairy-type monster in my Graveyard and add it to my hand once per turn."

Yuzu took Prelude from her Graveyard and showed it, "With her effect, I add Prelude back to my hand. And then, I Normal Summon Prelude ( **ATK: 1700** ) back to the field!" Yuzu placed the monster back on her duel disk and Prelude was summoned back as she was standing in a ready stance.

"And with Prelude's effect, I add a "Melodious" from my Deck to my hand." Yuzu took Minuet from her Deck and added it to her hand.

Yuzu placed a card in her duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

Lucine placed her fingers on her deck, "It's my turn, draw!" She looked at the card she drew before took out another one from her hand, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Mystical Space Typhoon! I target your Fountain in the Sky and destroy it!" A cyclone appeared from Lucine's card that sucked up and destroyed the fountain.

She then threw out her arm, "I Flip Summon Ghostrick Frost ( **ATK: 800** )!" The card flipped face-up and Frost appeared back on the field.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 1800** → **2000** )

Lucine turned over another face-down card, "Next, I Flip Summon Ghostrick Jiangshi ( **ATK: 400** )!" Another card flipped up and Jiangshi appeared with a cheeky smile on his face.

As there were four face-up Ghostricks on Lucine's field, she grabbed and held it up, "Due to Jiangshi's effect, I add the Level 2 Ghostrick Familiar to my hand." She then placed the card in her hand.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2200** )

Lucine placed a card in her duel disk, "Now, I activate the Continuous Magic: Ghostrick Phase!" A Magic Card appeared next to Lucine as the field started to get covered in dark clouds, making Yuzu narrowing her eyes in confusion.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2200** → **2400** )

Lucine looked at her, "With this card in play, once per turn, I can tribute a "Ghostrick" or face-down monster on my field in order to activate one of its three effects." She then grabbed the Frost card that was on her duel disk, "So I release Ghostrick Frost and choose the second effect. I target a "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster I control and it can attack twice this turn! So, Dracula can now attack twice!" As Frost left the field, ghastly laughter filled the area and Dracula laughed as well while covered in a dark aura.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2400** → **2200** )

Yuzu looked at the monster in caution as she wondered what exactly it can do.

Lucine held out her hand toward Dracula, "I activate Dracula's monster effect! By using an Overlay Unit, I change one of your monsters into face-down Defense Position!" Dracula's only Overlay Unit vanished before the monster snapped his fingers and forced Aria into face-down Defense Position, making Yuzu grit her teeth her teeth in response. Since the effect didn't target, Aria's effect didn't work either.

 **Ghostrick Dracula** ( **OVU: 1** → **0** )

Yuto looked at the duel with more interest than before, " _Here comes another combo."_ Though he wondered how it will turn out in the end.

Lucine held up Alucard's card before she sent it to the Graveyard, "Now, I activate Alucard's other effect. When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can add 1 other "Ghostrick" card from my Graveyard to my hand." After she sent Alucard away, she took Ghostrick Mummy from her Graveyard and added it to her hand.

Lucine showed a monster in her hand, "I Normal Summon Ghostrick Gargoyle ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 1700, LV: 4)!" Lucine summoned a ghastly gargoyle that was black with purple wings and roared as it glared at Yuzu's monsters.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2200** → **2400** )

"I now battle. And at this moment, I activate Rollshift's effect and switch one of my monsters into face-up Attack Position." One of Lucine's card flipped face-up and Lantern ( **ATK: 800** ) appeared back on the field.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2400** → **2600** )

Lucine pointed at Yuzu, "So, I now force your Laureate François into face-down Defense Position!" Laureate was caught off guard as her card forced her to switch positions.

Lucine's eyes then got intense as she held up a fist, "Dullahan now attacks your Prelude!" Dullahan's horse galloped and charged straight forward before slicing Prelude with its sword, destroying her.

 **YUZU LP: 4000** → **3100**

Lucine pointed at one of Yuzu's face-downs as she got more serious, "I attack one of your face-down monsters with Dracula!" Dracula charged straight forward before Lucine continued, "At this moment, Ghostrick Dracula's effect activates! When this monster attacks a face-down Defense Position, it can destroy it automatically during the start of the Damage Step! And when it does, you take 1000 damage!" Dracula screech and slashed through the face-down Aria, destroying it before it had a chance to respond. The explosion made Yuzu cross her arms in front of herself as she grunted a little from the damage.

 **YUZU LP: 3100** → **2100**

"Due to Ghostrick Phase, Dracula can attack again! Dracula attack Yuzu's second face-down!" Dracula then slashed and destroyed the face-down Laureate. Yuzu was pushed back only a few centimeters by the second explosion.

 **YUZU LP: 2100** → **1100**

"Now, Gargoyle, attack her third face-down!" Gargoyle unleashed a blast of energy from his mouth as Sonata flipped face-up, destroying her as soon as it connected. Lucine destroyed three of Yuzu's monsters, leaving only one left which was a face-down Mozart. And because Ghostrick Night was still out, Yuzu can't change it back face-up.

Lucine held her hand towards her monsters, "I activate the effects of Gargoyle, Lantern and Jiangshi. They are now changed back into face-down Defense Position." All three of the monsters flipped back face-down.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2600** → **2000** )

"I end my turn," called Lucine. Lucine then looked at Yuzu curiously as Yuzu stood firmly straight back as she recovered from the two blasts from earlier. Lucine hummed in thought, "Hmm…"

Yuzu narrowed her eyes in determination as she placed her fingers on her deck, "It's my turn, I draw!" She looked at what she drew before she called out, "With the Set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Two monsters appeared from the portal, "Appear, Opera the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1000, LV: 4) and Minuet the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 2100** , DEF: 800, LV: 5, PS: 2)!" Minuet appeared along with a young girl with pink hair tied in knots and green eyes as she was wearing a purple and pink dress along with pink dancing shoes.

Lucine looked at the summoning in curiosity, "I see. So, you can summon multiple monsters at once with that technique from your hand."

Yuzu held out her hand, "I activate Chora's Pendulum Effect and add a LIGHT Ritual Monster to my hand." She took Saffira from her Deck and added it to her hand.

"Next, I activate Contralto's Pendulum Effect! Since I Pendulum Summoned at least 2 "Melodious" monsters, her effect allows me to summon back a Level 6 or below "Melodious" from my Graveyard! Return to the field, Laureate François ( **ATK: 2300** )!" A portal opened from the ground and then Laureate returned to the field.

Lucine looked at Yuzu, "Summon multiple monsters, can appear from the Extra Deck, and they also have additional effects." Lucine closed her eyes in calm manner, "I'll admit you surprised me with this development."

Yuto saw the expression on Lucine's face and wondered, " _Is...Lucine actually enjoying this?"_ She wasn't smiling and she hasn't smiled much after what happened to their home but something in Lucine's expression told him that Lucine might actually be enjoying this to his bewilderment.

Yuzu looked at her monster, "With Laureate's effect, I add Prelude back to my hand." She took the card from her duel disk and held it up, "So, I will now summon Prelude ( **ATK: 1700** ) again!" Prelude was brought back to Yuzu's side of the field.

"And when Prelude is Normal Summoned, I can add a "Melodious" from my Deck to my hand." She took a card from her Deck and showed it, "I add Score the Melodious Diva to my hand."

Yuzu then smiled a little as she pointed at Minuet, "I activate Minuet the Melodious Diva's monster effect! Once per turn, I can inflict 200 damage to my opponent for every face-up "Melodious" I have on my field!" Since the face-down Mozart doesn't count, Yuzu has 4 face-up Melodiouses on her field.

"And that means you take 800 points of damage ( **4 x 200 = 800** )!" Minuet made a bow appear out of thin air and aim it towards Lucine. She then launched the arrow as Lucine simply stood still and looked like she was ready to take the hit. The arrow hit her right arm and created an explosion as Lucine yelled a little from the blast.

However, after a few seconds, the smoke soon cleared and Lucine was revealed to be unharmed as she brushed it by dusting her shoulder in a nonchalant manner. Lucine then turned her eyes back to Yuzu in seriousness.

 **LUCINE LP: 2100** → **1300**

Yuzu looked at Lucine, " _She doesn't even flinch much when it comes to damage."_

She then looked at her hand and grabbed a card, " _Alright, it's time!"_ She placed the card in her duel disk, "I activate the Ritual Magic: Hymn of Blessing!" She pointed at her face-down Mozart, "I tribute the Level 8 Mozart that's face-down in order to Ritual Summon!" Mozart was released as her face-down card disappeared from the field as it disintegrated into light particles and the corridor to the holy church appeared.

Lucine looked on in interest, "Ritual Summon…" This will be the first time she's experiencing a Ritual Summon from her opponent. Yuto looked curious as well as before he didn't know Yuzu knew how to Ritual Summon.

The light inside the church got brighter and the doors opened as Yuzu chanted, "Princess of the dragons that was gifted with light! Arise from your slumber, give blessings to everyone, and shine your magnificent wings around the world! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 6! Dragon Princess Deity - Saffira ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2400, LV: 6)!" From the church doors, the dragon princess appeared next to Yuzu along with Prelude, Laureate, Opera, and Minuet as her wings shine brightly.

Lucine looked at Saffira, " _So that's a Ritual Monster…"_

Yuzu then continued as she pointed at Lucine, "Battle! Saffira attacks Ghostrick Dracula! Maitri Spirit!" Saffira flew towards Dracula as her whole body started to shine brightly.

However, Lucine held out her hand, "Once again, I activate the effect of Ghostrick Rollshift and switch Gargoyle into face-up Attack Position!" A card flipped face-up and Gargoyle ( **ATK: 1500** ) appeared back on the field, "And then, I force Saffira into face-down Defense Position!" Saffira stopped abruptly before her card flipped and forced her into face-down position.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2200** )

"It's not over!" yelled Lucine. "I activate the Ghostrick Gargoyle's monster effect! When this card is flipped face-up, I can target a monster my opponent controls and destroy it!" Gargoyle charged up energy from his mouth and then launched a dark blast of energy that hit and destroyed Laureate.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes before she pointed at Opera, "Then I attack Ghostrick Dracula with Opera!" Opera did a little twirl before she flew straight toward Dracula.

Yuzu then smiled a little she showed a card in her hand, "I send the Score the Melodious Diva from my hand in order to activate her monster effect!" She then sent the card to the Graveyard, "When a "Melodious" monster I control battles an opponent's monster, I can send this card to the Graveyard to reduce the ATK and DEF of my opponent's monster to 0!"

 **Ghostrick Dracula** ( **ATK: 2100** → **0** , DEF: 1800→0)

"And with Opera having 2300 ATK, you take 2300 damage!" Opera spun around as she was flying, creating a tornado that enveloped Dracula and soon destroyed it.

However, Lucine was unfazed as she held up a card, "I activate the effect of Ghostrick Familiar in my hand." A silhouette of a shadowed dark humanoid figure with the eyes of an eagle appeared next to Lucine and sucked up the energy from the explosion with its hands.

Yuzu was taken aback as to how Lucine survived before she explained, "With this card, when I'm about to take damage while I have a "Ghostrick" on my field, I can discard this card to reduce that damage to 0." Lucine then sent the card the Graveyard before Familiar was snickering and disappeared.

Lucine gestured her duel disk, "Then, I get to add 1 other "Ghostrick" monster from my Graveyard to my hand using this effect. Also, because Dracula was now sent to the Graveyard, I can add another "Ghostrick" card from my Graveyard. With both of these cards in play, I add both Ghostrick Warwolf and Alucard back to my hand. Since Alucard is an Xyz Monster, it is returned to my Extra Deck instead." Lucine revealed the two cards she added back to her hand before she placed Warwolf in her hand and Alucard back in her Extra Deck.

 **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2200** → **2000** )

Yuzu gritted her teeth in response before she pointed at her monster, "Prelude attack Gargoyle!" Prelude flew straight toward Gargoyle and kicked it in the chest, destroying it.

 **LUCINE LP: 1300** → **1100  
** **Ghostrick Dullahan** ( **ATK: 2000** → **1800** )

"And now I use Prelude's effect by releasing her and adding a "Melodious" Magic or Trap to my hand." Prelude vanished from the field before Yuzu added a second Melodious Callback from her Deck to her hand.

"Now, Minuet attacks Ghostrick Dullahan!" Minuet sung her song and created a blast that finally destroyed Dullahan as Lucine grunted a little from the damage.

 **LUCINE LP: 1100** → **800**

Lucine looked at Yuzu, "When Ghostrick Dullahan is sent to the Graveyard, I can add 1 other "Ghostrick" card from my Graveyard to my hand." She then took out a card from her Graveyard and showed it, "So, I add Ghostrick Familiar back to my hand."

Yuzu frowned before she grabbed a card and placed it in her duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Melodious Callback which lets me add Laureate and Score back to my hand." Using her magic card, Yuzu added both monsters back from her Graveyard.

"I end my turn." Yuzu, however, then pointed at Saffira, "At this moment, Saffira's effect activates! During the turn I Ritual Summon this card, I can choose to activate one of its three effects. I choose the second one where you have to discard a random card from your hand." Lucine lowered her eyes as she saw one of her cards glowing, meaning she had to discard it. She then simply grabbed Ghostrick Mummy's card and sent it to the Graveyard.

Lucine looked at Yuzu for a few seconds before she spoke, "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you something." Yuzu was then curious as to what Lucine was about to ask before she continued, "...Why are so concerned about that Masumi girl? From what I saw, it didn't seem like you two were friends at the very least." This was another thing that has bothered her for awhile and she saw how Yuzu interacted with Masumi before at the harbor which wasn't exactly friendly. So, if they weren't friends, why would this girl care about her?

Yuzu looked at Lucine for a second before she lowered her eyes and pondered about the answer to that question. It is true that they weren't exactly friends but from all of the stuff she's been hearing about what happened to LDS' members, she couldn't just ignore it. She doesn't know what happened to them. All she knows is that they vanished without a trace and nobody deserves that, not even Masumi.

Yuzu then had a look of resolve on her face as she raised her head, "It's true that me and Masumi aren't friends. But people from LDS' have been vanishing without a trace and I want to know why." She held a fist to her heart, "To me, nobody deserves that; not even Masumi."

Lucine's eyes widened in shock as she saw the sincerity and kindness from this girl. She was really concerned about someone from LDS even if they're not friends. Lucine lowered her head as her bangs hid part of her face and she frowned, "...I see." She honestly doesn't know what to say. She was trying to hide the sadness in her eyes right now. Yuzu's behavior really does remind her of Ruri. Yuto looked like he agreed as well as he frowned and looked at the ground in regret.

Yuzu looked at Lucine in determination, "Who are you people anyway? Why won't you let me to see Masumi?"

"...Because it is dangerous." Yuzu, to her confusion, heard Yuto's voice and turned to him as he had his eyes narrowed, "We don't want you to get hurt!"

Yuzu heard what Yuto said before she processed it and narrowed her eyes in confusion and irritation, "...Why are you saying things like that to me while you go and hurt other people?!" Yuto was taken aback as he didn't know what to say before Yuzu continued, "Are you saying it's fine if Masumi gets hurt?!" Yuto didn't look at her, not wanting to say anything.

"...Like you know anything about our situation." Yuzu turn to see Lucine glaring at her, "You don't know anything! Don't make assumptions about us!" Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise from Lucine's outburst as she seemed more tense than usual.

Lucine had enough talking and drew her card, "My turn!" She then immediately placed a card on her duel disk, "I Normal Summon Ghostrick Warwolf ( **ATK: 1400** )!" Warwolf appeared back on the field as it howled in fierceness.

She threw out her arm, "Next, I Flip Summon Ghostrick Jiangshi ( **ATK: 400** )!" The card flipped face-up and Jiangshi appeared back from a puff of smoke.

"With Jiangshi's effect, I add another Ghostrick Familiar to my hand!" She showed the card she added before placing it her hand.

She held out her hand toward her monsters, "I overlay my Level 3 Ghostrick Warwolf and Jiangshi!" Both monsters turned into dark energy that went into a portal, "Xyz Summon! Arise again, Rank 3! Ghostrick Alucard ( **ATK: 1800** , OVU: 2)!" Alucard appeared from a coffin as he laughed maniacally.

Lucine looked at Yuzu, "And now I battle. At this moment, I activate the effect of Rollshift again and switch my Lantern ( **ATK: 800** ) face-up." Lantern's card flipped up and it appeared back on the field.

"And then I force your Minuet into face-down Defense Position!" Minuet's card flipped down and she was forced to disappear.

Lucine gave Yuzu a serious look as she pointed at her monster, "Alucard! Attack Opera the Melodious Diva! Blood Screech!" Alucard screamed and unleashed red sound waves of energy.

Yuzu was taken aback and confused by this, "What? But Alucard doesn't have enough ATK!" Alucard has 1800 ATK while Opera has 2300 ATK. If this attack goes through, Alucard would get destroyed and Lucine would end up taking damage. She wondered what exactly Lucine's plan was.

However, she decided to go through with it as she held up a card, "But if you want to self-destruct, fine by me! I activate the effect of Score in my hand again! Which means Alucard loses all of its ATK and DEF!" She sent the card to the Graveyard before Score momentarily appeared and sung her song, weakening Alucard's power.

 **Ghostrick Alucard** ( **ATK: 1800** → **0** , DEF: 1600→0)

Lucine, however, narrowed her eyes as she showed Familiar in her hand, "Now, you're forgetting something. I activate the effect of Ghostrick Familiar in my hand! All damage from this battle is reduced to 0!" Lucine sent the monster to the Graveyard before Opera retaliated by kicking Alucard in the chest and destroying it.

She then turned her eyes toward her duel disk, "And because of Familiar's effect, I can one other "Ghostrick" monster to my hand from my Graveyard." Lucine took two cards and showed them that they were both an Xyz and Magic Card, "Since Alucard was sent to the Graveyard, I can activate his effect as well. Using both of these effects, I add Soul Revitalization and Dracula back to my hand. Dracula goes back to my Extra Deck since it is an Xyz Monster." She held onto to the Magic Card while placing the Xyz Monster back in her Extra Deck.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes in confusion, " _Why would she add…?"_ Her eyes then widened in realization, " _Wait a minute! That's her plan!"_ She just realized what Lucine was up to and had a bad feeling.

Lucine noticed Yuzu's expression, "Seems you figured it out but it won't matter." She then showed the card again, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Rank-Up-Magic - Ghostrick Soul Revitalization again! I summon Alucard back from my Graveyard and rank up it!"

A dark portal opened from the ground and Alucard came out of it before turning into dark energy that went into another dark vortex, "Rank Up! Xyz Change! Arise again, Rank 4! Ghostrick Dracula ( **ATK: 2100** , OVU: 1)!" Dracula appeared back on Lucine's side of the field.

Yuzu looked on in wonder, " _She willingly took a chance in order to resummon her Xyz Monster."_ She has to admit that it was a nice move.

Meanwhile, Lucine's eyes widened in intensity as she held out her hand, "Dracula! Attack the face-down card of Saffira! And since it is a face-down Defense Position monster, Dracula's monster effect activates!" Dracula slashed through and destroyed Yuzu's face-down before it had the chance to react. The explosion made Yuzu get pushed back before she was launched into the air and then soon landed on her back with a thud.

 **YUZU LP: 1100** → **100**

Lucine finally looked like she calmed down as her expression didn't look intense anymore. She took a deep breath and then held out her hand, "I activate the effect of Ghostrick Dracula and force your Opera to change into face-down Defense Position." Dracula's only Overlay Unit vanished before Opera was forced change positions.

 **Ghostrick Dracula** ( **OVU: 1** → **0** )

Lucine took Familiar from her Graveyard and showed it momentarily, "Because Alucard was sent to the Graveyard, I add Familiar back to my hand."

She then pointed at her Continuous Magic, "Furthermore, I activate the effect of Ghostrick Phase and tribute Lantern." Lantern vanished from the field, "I use the first effect where I can target a "Ghostrick" card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand." With the effect of her Magic Card, she added the Lantern she just released back to her hand.

"I set a card and end my turn." Lucine placed a card in her duel disk and ended her turn.

Lucine watched in intrigue as Yuzu was getting back up from the blast she took. Yuzu was breathing in and out as she was determined to not give up on this duel. Lucine closed her eyes, "I'll admit you fought well. Especially for someone who has not experience combat very much. Are you sure you want to continue?" Lucine gave Yuzu a serious expression, curious as to what her response would be.

Yuzu heard what Lucine said and then narrowed her eyes, "Yes, I will keep on dueling." Lucine stared at her for a second before she nodded in response.

Yuto looked on in curiosity, " _I wonder what Lucine is thinking right now."_ Just a few seconds ago, she was riled up from Yuzu's questioning but is now curious to what Yuzu would do now in her turn. He knew Lucine was just defending the both of them and trying to test if Yuzu had the resolve to continue.

Yuzu, with determination still in her eyes, placed her fingers on her deck, "It's my turn, draw!" She looked at the card she drew before she smiled, " _I think it's time I try out my new summoning method!"_

Yuzu pointed at her Pendulum Scales, "First, with the Scale 2 Chora and Scale 9 Contralto, I Pendulum Summon!" Two monsters came out of the portal, "From the Extra Deck, Pendulum Mozart ( **ATK: 2600** )! And from my hand, Laureate François ( **ATK: 2300** )!"

Lucine looked at Mozart, " _So you can summon Pendulum Monsters from the Extra Deck…"_

Yuzu held out her hand, "I activate Contralto's Pendulum Effect! So, I summon Tamtam the Melodious Diva ( **ATK: 1000** , DEF: 2000, LV: 4) from my Graveyard!" From a portal in the ground, a young girl wearing a mint green poofy dress, blue and white long-sleeved undershirt, and blue shoes. She had dark blue-green hair tied in braids, purple eyes, and was carrying what looked like a maraca while a tam-tam gong was floating near her.

"Now, I activate Tamtam's monster effect!" Tamtam smiled as she hit the gong with her maraca, "When she is Special Summoned while I have another "Melodious" on my field, I can add 1 "Polymerization" from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand!" She then took a card from her Deck and added it to her hand.

However, Lucine narrowed her eyes as she glared at Yuzu, "Polymerization…" She knew from both Yuto and watching this girl that she was trying to learn Fusion Summoning and those thoughts were making her see rage right now.

Yuzu placed the card in her duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization! With this card, I can Fusion Summon using monsters in my hand and field as Fusion Material. I fuse Tamtam and Opera that's face-down on my field!" Opera appeared as her card flipped face-up.

Both Opera and Tamtam went into the colorful vortex as Yuzu chanted, "Tam-tam of symphony, performer of opera! By the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Appear on stage! Level 6! Schuberta the Melodious Maestra ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 2000, LV: 6)!" Yuzu summoned an adult-like light green female monster that was wielding a baton in her left hand and had long, flowing orange hair. She was wearing a golden masquerade mask over her eyes, a black dress with dark orange flowing over the design, highlighting the main body parts, along with a white _f_ key on the bottom.

Yuto narrowed his eyes as he saw Yuzu Fusion Summon, "Fusion…" He clenched his fists as he was seeing the same summoning method that destroyed his home.

Lucine gritted her teeth in frustration, "I warned you before that nothing good will come from Fusion Summoning!?"

"You're wrong!" Lucine's eyes widened a little as Yuzu spoke with resolve, "Just like with Ruri, I don't know what you and Yuto have against Fusion Summoning. But I learned it so I can get stronger! To protect my friends!"

Lucine was shocked by what she heard, "What did you say?" She heard the part about Ruri which made her curious but to hear Yuzu's reasoning for learning the method made her even more shocked.

Yuto also got a shocked expression on his face, "Using Fusion...to protect people?" The idea was unthinkable for him considering the harm it did and what he and his comrades had to endure because of it.

Yuzu held up a fist in determination, "I use Fusion to also help Ruri! I activate the effect of Tamtam! When this card is used as Fusion Material and sent to the Graveyard, I can target one "Melodious" monster on my field and it loses 500 ATK while also dealing you 500 points of damage! I select Pendulum Mozart!" A silhouette of Tamtam appeared momentarily before she hit the gong next to her with her maraca, decreasing Mozart's strength while also unleashing a sound wave that hit Lucine.

 **Pendulum Mozart the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 2600** → **2100** )  
 **LUCINE LP: 800** → **300**

Yuzu looked at Lucine, "Now, I activate Schuberta's monster effect! Once, while this card is on the field, I can banish up to 3 cards from either players' Graveyard and she gains 200 ATK for every one that was banished! Chorus Break!" Schuberta waved her baton and banished Dullahan, Alucard, and Rank-Up-Magic - Ghostrick Soul Revitalization from Lucine's Graveyard.

 **Schuberta the Melodious Maestra** ( **ATK: 2400** → **3000** )

Lucine gritted her teeth in frustration as she saw Schuberta getting stronger but also realized Yuzu did that so that she can't bring back her Xyz Monsters again.

Yuzu held out her hand, "Battle! I attack Ghostrick Dracula with Schuberta! Wave of the Great!" Schuberta's hair caught on fire as she held out her arms and the patterns on her dress unleashed pink sound waves towards Dracula.

Lucine narrowed her eyes before she held up a card, "I activate the effect of Ghostrick Familiar! I send this card to the Graveyard in order to negate the damage!" Familiar was sent to the Graveyard before Schuberta's attack destroyed Dracula.

"And with its effect, I add Ghostrick Jiangshi back to my hand." Lucine then added a card back to her hand thanks to Familiar.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes as well, "But you can't use the second Familiar now that don't have any Ghostricks on your field anymore."

"I wonder about that." replied Lucine before she pressed a button on her duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Ghostrick Break! When exactly one "Ghostrick" monster I control is destroyed, I can select and summon two different "Ghostricks" from my Graveyard in face-down Defense Position!" From her duel disk, Lucine took Gargoyle and Warwolf from her Graveyard and placed them face-down, making them appear in front of her.

Yuzu looked at her monsters, "Then, I'll have Laureate attack one of your face-down monsters!" Laureate flew toward Lucine's monsters.

However, Lucine's expression got intense, "Sorry, but this duel is over now. I activate the effect of Ghostrick Rollshift! I switch one of my monsters in face-up Attack Position!" A card flipped face-up and Warwolf ( **ATK: 1400** ) reappeared on the field.

"And then your monster is forced into face-down Defense Position!" Lucine's Trap then shot a blast of energy toward Laureate.

Yuzu, however, smiled a little before she pressed a button, "Not this time! I activate the Trap Card: Melodious Illusion and target Laureate with this effect!" A trap flipped open and a barrier formed around Laureate that protected her from the blast.

Yuzu looked at Lucine, "With this card, Laureate is unaffected by your Magic and Trap effects during this turn! Not only that, she can also attack twice this turn!" She held up a fist, "With only two monsters on your field and me having three attacks, this is over."

However, Lucine had her eyes, "You're right. It is over...for you." Lucine opened her eyes to look at Yuzu, who was confused by what she meant by that.

Lucine's expression got more intense as she held out her hand, "I said that this duel is over and I meant it! Ghostrick Warwolf's monster effect activates!" Warwolf howled really loudly as it was heard throughout the field.

Yuzu was confused by what Lucine was saying. She wondered what Warwolf was going to do. Is this another effect when flipped face-up?

Lucine looked at her, "When Warwolf is flipped face-up, it deals 100 points of damage for every face-down card on the field." Yuzu's eyes widened in shock as Lucine turned her eyes toward the field, "There are two face-downs on the field right now. And with only 100 LP left, this will finish it." Yuzu's one face-down and Lucine's face-down both glowed as Warwolf howled a small blast at Yuzu. She yelped as she wasn't expecting it but crossed her arms in front of herself and it forced her kneel down.

 **YUZU LP: 100** → **0**

 **YUZU: LOSE  
LUCINE: WIN**

Yuto closed his eyes, "It's over." He thought Yuzu did very well and had she banished Warwolf with Schuberta's effect, she might have won. But, because he surmises that she didn't know about Warwolf's effect, that's what led to her losing. He opened his eyes and saw Lucine walking towards her. He wondered what she was going to do since he can't see her expression from here.

Yuzu frowned a little as she looked at the ground, " _I lost…"_ She was frustrated that she lost but she was also frustrated Lucine probably will not trust her now that she couldn't prove herself. She didn't hear the footsteps as she continued looking a little down. However, once Lucine stopped in front of her, Yuzu raised her head to look at Lucine.

Lucine had an unreadable expression on her face as she stared at Yuzu and not saying anything. Yuzu soon narrowed her eyes, wondering what Lucine was thinking.

After a few seconds, Lucine decided to speak, "...Did you mean what you said?" Yuzu was taken aback, "What?" Lucine replied, "About Fusion? Did you mean what you said about why you learned it?"

Yuzu, finally getting what Lucine was asking, nodded with determination, "Yes, I did."

Lucine stared at Yuzu and saw the sincerity in her eyes. It told her that she wasn't lying. Soon after, she closed her eyes, "Honestly, that sounds a little far fetched. But…" Lucine opened her eyes which had sincerity in them as well, "...it reminds me a bit of Ruri."

Yuzu's eyes widened a little from hearing Ruri's name before, unexpectedly, Lucine reached out a hand to her. She looked at it before she smiled and accepted it. Lucine then pulled Yuzu off the ground and helped her stood up.

Yuto was taken aback by this before he smiled and walked to them. He then stopped between them, "Lucine, does this mean you…?"

Yuzu turned to her in curiosity before Lucine closed her eyes, "...You've fought valiantly and I can see that you're a good person from this duel. So…" She then smiled a little, "You've earned my trust."

Yuzu smiled in response, "Thank you, Lucine." She was happy that she could at least earn her trust.

Yuto smiled at the scene before he looked at Yuzu with a serious expression, "Yuzu, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions."

Yuzu then got serious as she turned to Yuto, "Sure. I have some things to ask you two as well."

Yuto nodded before he was pondering for a few seconds about what exactly to ask while Lucine watched in curiosity. Yuto soon turned his eyes to Yuzu, "First and foremost, I really need to know. Can you tell us where Ruri is?"

Yuzu was a little confused by Yuto's statement before she gestured her arm towards a certain direction, "She should be back at either You Show or at my house."

Yuto looked at the ground, " _I must have somehow missed her when I was at You Show before…"_ However, hearing Yuzu's statement told him that she wasn't in actual danger right now put a smile on his face, " _Thank goodness. Ruri is safe."_

Lucine looked at Yuzu cautiously, "So...that means Ruri is safe?" She had to make sure just in case there were details they were missing.

Yuzu narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Safe? Of course she is. Why wouldn't she be?" She wondered what exactly could cause Ruri to be in danger. However, a thought then came to her mind, " _Does this has something to do with why Ruri won't say anything to me?"_

Yuto and Lucine looked at each other before the both of them seemed hesitate to say something as it wouldn't be easy to explain nor did they agree that they both didn't want an innocent person involved in their problems.

Yuto wasn't sure what to say, "It's...complicated." He wasn't sure if he should answer correctly or not say anything at all.

Yuzu raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure it's fine. I can take it."

"You don't know that." Yuzu turned to Lucine in confusion before Lucine narrowed her eyes at her, "It could turn out not being good for you or your friends."

Yuzu frowned, "And you don't know that either." She then held up a fist, "Me, Yuya, Rin and everyone else want to know what is going on. I know Ruri cares about us but she won't tell us anything. Now, you are doing the same thing!" All she wishes is to get some answers to whatever is troubling Ruri and her friends and why they're doing this.

Both Yuto and Lucine were taken aback by this and were also confused by Yuzu's statement. They found out that Ruri is actually safe which is good news but what exactly has she told Yuzu and her friends? It didn't appear to be much since Yuzu still seem confused about all of this.

Yuto narrowed his eyes at Yuzu, "And...what exactly did Ruri tell you?"

Yuzu frowned as she had her eyes toward the ground, "...All I know is that Ruri is afraid of Fusion Summoning and she can't tell me, Yuya, or anybody about it for some reason."

Lucine pondered what Yuzu said as she held up a hand below her chin in thought, "Hmm…" After a few seconds, she closed her eyes in understanding, "I see. I think I understand now."

Yuto had the same thoughts as he concluded the same thing: Ruri didn't exactly tell them about the situation back at home. She might have mentioned somewhat about how she and everybody else in Xyz feel about Fusion. If he knows Ruri, she probably did it to protect them so they wouldn't get involved.

Yuzu frowned as she held out her hands, "Can you at least tell me why Ruri won't say anything?"

At first, there was silence from the both of them as they weren't sure what to say. However, after a minute, Lucine opened her eyes and looked at Yuzu, "Well...that's partially correct."

Yuto turned to Lucine shocked, "Lucine?!"

Lucine, however, was unfazed as she turned to Yuto, "I think...maybe she should know what's going on." Yuto was taken aback by this before she continued, "Besides...if what we heard is true, sooner or later _they_ will eventually come _here_."

Yuto, while still a little shocked, started to understand why Lucine is more willingly to share what is going on. Yuto frowned as he remembered the fate that his dimension had in store for the war and soon this dimension might have it as well.

Yuzu frowned and narrowed her eyes in confusion, "What are talking about? They? Who's _they_? And who are you guys anyway?" She was getting even more confused by what she heard them saying.

Yuto didn't respond at first but eventually spoke, "We...are people fighting to protect our comrades. In order to end this conflict, and to create a world where no one has to be hurt."

Yuzu was a little lost, "Conflict?" She still didn't know exactly what he was talking about but it did sound really serious. From what she understands, Yuto, Lucine, and this Shun are all fighting to protect their friends and to end whatever fight they were fighting. But then something bothered her as she remembered something Yuto said when he was talking to Sawatari before, "But...what does LDS have to do with your situation?"

Lucine spoke, "That's because…"

However, Yuto held up a hand and interrupted her, "Wait, Lucine." Lucine turned to Yuto, wondering why he stopped her. Yuto continued, "I have an idea."

Yuto turned Lucine around so they had their backs facing Yuzu, who was confused by what they were doing. Yuto was whispering something to Lucine who nodded and listened on to his idea. It was so quiet that Yuzu couldn't hear what they were saying. Soon after, they seperated and Lucine looked at Yuto surprised, "You sure about this, Yuto?"

Yuto nodded, "Yes, I believe it will be easier this way." Lucine stared at him for a second before she nodded, silently agreeing to the idea.

As Yuzu wondered what they talked about, Yuto walked forward to face Yuzu with a concerned look on his face, "...If possible, I would rather you don't get involved in that conflict. But if you have no choice but to fight, then I want you to survive. Even if it means using Fusion Summoning."

Yuzu's eyes blinked in surprise as she didn't know what to say as Yuto looked at her in the eyes, "The you who is trying to become stronger to protect your friends…" A soft smile appeared on Yuto's face, "The you who is trying to change yourself isn't wrong…" Yuzu's eyes widened in shock as it sounded something similar to what Yuya said to her before.

Yuzu stared at him amazed before she narrowed her eyes, "Wait a minute. You still haven't answered my question."

"And you will get them." Yuzu turned to see Lucine with narrowed eyes, wondering what she meant by that.

Yuto looked at Yuzu, "If it is possible, we would like to discuss this later at a different time and location for right now isn't the best time." Yuzu was curious before Yuto continued, "If you agree to meet us at a later time, then I promise we'll tell you what you need to know."

Yuzu was taken aback and then later understood what Yuto said before she questioned, "But...when and where do I meet you?"

Lucine crossed her arms in front of herself, "At the harbor. Two days from now at night."

Yuto then spoke, "And...I would like you to bring Ruri with you." He was then hesitate for a second before he looked serious, "I'd also like to meet Yuya as well." To be honest, he has been wanting to meet Yuya for awhile now especially considering he has the same face as him.

Yuzu processed this information for a second before she nodded understandingly, "Okay. I promise."

Yuto and Lucine nodded gratefully before they proceeded to walk away from her and out sight. However, Lucine stopped for a second and turn to Yuzu, "Yuzu." Yuzu raised an eyebrow before Lucine pointed at her, "One more thing, do not bring that Sora kid with you. Understand?"

Yuzu was confused, "What? Sora?" Why would Lucine not want Sora with her? Before she could ask what she meant by that, Lucine was already gone along with Yuto. Yuzu was pondering all of this and wondered what might happen in two days.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HIRAGI RESIDENCE (NIGHTTIME)**

Rin was reading a magazine on her bed while Ruri was drinking some tea at a coffee table nearby. They were both just relaxing a little before they had to go to bed although they wondered where Yuzu has been since running off before.

Rin was curious as she flipped through the pages, "Hey, Ruri. What do you think made Yuzu run off like that?"

Ruri was a little troubled as she frowned, "...I don't know. But I hope she is okay."

Rin, however, didn't looked worried as she smiled reassuringly, "I'm sure Yuzu is fine. She can take care of herself."

However, after a minute, they heard the door open and Yuzu came into their bedroom. Ruri and Rin smiled at her, "Yuzu!" They were both happy to see her but then were curious and confused as to why Yuzu looked tired and she had a hasty expression on her face.

Yuzu turned to Ruri, who was confused as to what happened to Yuzu, "Ruri. We need to talk."

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Melodious Harmony Halt** (Trap Card) - Activate only if an opponent's monster declares an attack against a "Melodious" monster you control: Negate the attack; Then, Special Summon a "Melodious" monster from your hand or GY. Your opponent cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of the turn this card was activated.

 **Musical Oscillation** (Magic Card) - Discard 1 card; add 2 "Melodious" Pendulum Monsters with different names from your Deck to your hand, also, until the end of your opponent's next turn after this card resolves, "Melodious" cards in your Pendulum Zones cannot be destroyed by card effects. You can only activate 1 "Musical Oscillation" per turn. You cannot activate this card if you activated a "Melodious" monster's Pendulum Effect this turn.

 **Rank-Up-Magic - Ghostrick Soul Revitalization** (Quick-Play Magic): If a "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard this turn while you controlled it: Target 1 "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it, then Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 "Ghostrick" monster that is 1 Rank higher than that monster, by using it as the Xyz Material. (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon.)

 **Ghostrick Dracula  
** (RNK: 4, Zombie, DARK, Xyz, ATK: 2100, DEF: 1800)  
 _(2 Level 4 "Ghostrick" Monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ Monsters your opponent controls cannot target face-up "Ghostrick" monsters, or any face-down Defense Position monsters you control, with card effects. At the start of the Damage Step, if this card attacks a face-down Defense Position monster: Destroy that face-down monster and, if you do, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card: Change 1 face-up monster your opponent controls into face-down Defense Position. If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 other "Ghostrick" card in your GY; add it to your hand.

 **Ghostrick Phase** (Continuous Magic) - Once per turn, you can tribute 1 "Ghostrick" monster or 1 face-down monster you control and apply one of these effects:  
• Target 1 "Ghostrick" card in your GY; Add it to your hand  
• Target 1 "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster you control; This turn, it can attack twice during each Battle Phase.  
• Target 1 Magic/Trap Card on the Field; Destroy it.

 **Ghostrick Gargoyle  
** (LV: 4, Fiend, DARK, ATK: 1500, DEF: 1700)  
 _Monster Effect:_ Cannot be Normal Summoned, unless you control a "Ghostrick" monster. Once per turn: You can change this card to face-down Defense Position. When this card is flipped face-up: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy that target.

 **Ghostrick Familiar  
** (LV: 2, Spellcaster, DARK, ATK: 500, DEF: 900)  
Monster Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned, unless you control a "Ghostrick" monster. Once per turn: You can change this card to face-down Defense Position. If you are about to take damage while you have a "Ghostrick" monster on your field: You can discard this card; reduce that damage to 0. Then, you can add 1 other "Ghostrick" monster from your GY to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Ghostrick Familiar" once per turn.

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **Okay, so I don't know how y'all will feel about the result, but it is what it is. In case you didn't pay attention, I did imply a lot of stuff in the future but you'll have to figure out what though (besides the obvious). Oh yeah, I also hope you like the new cards I came up with for Ghostricks. I honestly am excited to get into these later chapters. :)**

 **Next up is Kylian's duel debut along with a new archetype I've been working on these past couple of weeks.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Guardians of the Forest Hunter** _-_ Yuya is challenged by Kylian Orman, leader of the Duel Hunters. As he finds out Kylian is actually a former Ritual ace of LDS, Yuya finds himself in a tough challenge against his deck.

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 **Like or please review ~**


	20. Guardians of the Forest Hunter

**Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter. I also like to thank** _ **tsukikami02**_ **,** _ **Unknowedz**_ **,** _ **ThePLOThand**_ **,** _ **Mekyaku**_ **, and Sarah_figueroa** **for commenting on the last chapter as well. Here's some of my responses:**

 _ **ThePLOThand**_ **\- I suppose. But, at the same time, I've seen other people complain in other remake stories about skipping ahead of certain events. So I'm not quite sure what is right or wrong here. Though I guess, depending on what the story is, I might skip chapters but this wouldn't be one of them. I will say this: If I skip some certain events, a part of me would feel like I'm being lazy. So, sorry about that.**

 _ **Mekyaku**_ **\- Thank you for the review, Mekyaku. I did say that it is a new archetype I've been working on that Kylian is going to use. To answer your other questions, I have considered Blue-Eyes though I haven't decided if they will be in this story yet but Amorphages I think I'll put in at some point. Regardless, thank you for reading my story. I'm glad you are enjoying it.**

 **With that said, let's get started.**

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 **Chapter 20 - Guardians of the Forest Hunter**

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 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

It was the middle of the afternoon as Yuya was getting ready for his match with Kylian, who was supposed to meet in about an hour at the harbor. After they ate lunch, Yuya got a call from his duel disk and saw that it was Yuzu. Yuya wondered why she was calling him now and she responded that she needed to talk to both him and Mikleo right now.

Yuya and Mikleo were in Yuya's room as Yuya held up his duel disk with Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin showing up on the screen. As Mikleo watched with curiosity, Yuya was a little taken aback by what Yuzu said as he raised an eyebrow, "So, Yuto and Lucine want to meet us in two days?" The three girls have explained what has happened yesterday when Yuzu ran off earlier.

Yuzu nodded on the other side, "Yeah. They said they wanted us to come to the harbor at that time." Yuzu explained everything that happened and is now getting to the last part of the story.

Yuya nodded in understanding before having a smile on his face, "Well, then that definitely makes things easier. Isn't that great, Ruri?" He imagined Ruri must be happy to finally have a chance to see her friends again.

However, to his confusion, Ruri looked a little hesitate while smiling a little, "Uh, well…" She wasn't sure what to say to Yuya right now. Rin and Yuzu both looked a little troubled as Ruri paused a bit.

Yuya and Mikleo were confused as to why the girls looked like that as Mikleo curiously said while moving closer to the disk, "What's wrong?"

Rin seemed a little uneasy as she scratched the back of the head, "Well...It's kinda complicated."

Yuya raised an eyebrow in curiosity, wondering what that could mean. Before he could ask, Yuzu got his attention, "Listen, we can talk more about this later today, Yuya. For now, good luck in your second match!" Then, to his surprise, the girls waved goodbye in a hasty manner before the screen went black and the call ended.

Yuya's eyes blinked in surprise and stared at the screen for a couple seconds before turning to Mikleo in confusion, "What was that about?"

Mikleo just his crossed his arms together and shrugged, "Not sure." Mikleo then walked over and proceeded to sit down in one of the chairs nearby. Mikleo held out his hand, "Maybe it is like what happened the last time we talked about it." He was referring to when all of them, including Gongenzaka, discussed how and what happened to Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin before LDS arrived at their school.

Yuya looked at the ground in thought, "Maybe…" To be honest, nothing has really happened much since they last talked about it and it didn't seem like they were getting anywhere. He's hoping that meeting Yuto can clear up some more questions he has.

Mikleo then had a look of realization as he remembered something before he smirked, "Oh, yeah, that reminds me. I need to show you something." He opened up the laptop he had on the desk and proceeded to type something.

Yuya looked intrigued as he walked over to his brother, "What? Is this about what you found in LDS?" Around a couple days ago, Mikleo told Yuya that he infiltrated LDS since he was suspicious about certain events that were happening around here and had a feeling LDS' database might have answers. Yuya was both amazed and a little vexed that his older brother would try something like that.

Once he heard that, Yuya told his brother that he could in trouble and his response was, " _Maybe. But that's only if I get caught and I don't think that will happen. Then again, it is Reiji so who knows?"_ He said that in a nonchalant manner as he didn't seem to care too much, making Yuya sweatdrop at his brother's carelessness.

Mikleo ignored that comment as he continued typing, "No, I'm not done looking through that information yet." He then turned his head to Yuya, "I was referring to who you are facing later today."

Yuya raised an eyebrow before he saw Kylian's profile on the computer. Mikleo continued typing on the keyboard, "When you told me who you were facing next, I got a little curious and decided to do some research." He turned to Yuya with a smirk on his face, "And I found something interesting." He showed an article that had Kylian's profile along with the LDS symbol nearby and some information.

Yuya looked at the computer and read through the information in the article, "Kylian Orman, 17 years old, a prodigy who formally went to LDS and was a ace in Ritual Summoning. However, just a few months ago, he suddenly quit LDS out of nowhere and suddenly went missing with no one knowing where he is. Many wonder if he actually quit dueling or if he's still around. However, there are rumors that he lives in Maiami City as part of a duel gang but nothing is confirmed."

Yuya then saw he had a nickname next to the article, "The Forest Hunter of LDS?" It appears that he was named that because he had a tendency to challenge a lot of elite duelists in LDS and always attacking and coming on top like a predator. Mikleo just had a neutral expression as he read through the same info.

After reading through all of this information, Yuya crossed his arms in thought, " _The Forest Hunter…"_ He will admit that it is a peculiar nickname for a duelist and what also intrigued him was the fact that he was, supposedly, the former ace of LDS' Ritual Course. That led him to believe that Kylian uses a Ritual-based deck, similar to Mieru's.

As he processed this, he remembered something Kylian told him before, _"What I want is a challenge. I've been in this city for years and there hasn't been anyone tough enough to duel against me. And I watched you duel. You interest me and I want to see what happens when we duel each other. Especially with that Pendulum Summoning of yours."_

Yuya narrowed his eyes as something didn't add up, " _This is strange…"_ If this is actually true, why is a talented duelist like him hanging out with a bunch of thugs called the Duel Hunters? He doesn't know about Kylian personally but something seemed weird about all of this. He was also curious as to what led him to quitting LDS.

Mikleo seemed amused by Yuya's expression before he turned back to the profile, "Quite an interesting duelist. I believe I've heard of him from time to time." He paused for a second before he turned to Yuya, "You better not underestimate him. Unlike the three we've seen from LDS, he's actually very good." While he was researching a little about Kylian, he actually dug up some of his duels in the past couple years and, from what he watched, he's actually pretty good. Although, thinking the same as Yuya, he questioned why exactly he chose to be in a gang instead going to LDS, not that he views LDS as a great school anyway.

Yuya simply smiled and nodded, "Don't worry. I'll be careful." His eyes then moved back to Kylian's picture and narrowed them, " _What kind of duel am I in for?"_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - ABANDONED WAREHOUSE**

In an unknown abandoned warehouse near the harbor, several explosions were heard inside the building as well as grunts that sounded like fighting.

From the inside, as explosions were happening on one side, Kylian was yelling, "Next, next! What's the problem? Why are you stopping? I must fight now!" Kylian had an intense look in his eyes as he stared at his subordinates, who were tired from dueling all night as they had their duel disks activated on their arms.

One of his men spoke up, "Ah, but Kylian, we've been at it all night! We need a break!" The ones who were on their knees nodded as they were exhausted as well.

Bryan looked like he was distressed as he held his back with his right arm, "Ow, my back is aching." Katsuro agreed, "Yeah, it looks like he's getting a cramp."

However, Kylian simply laughed a little bit before holding out his duel disk, "Prepare to duel! I'm not pumped enough yet!"

Bryan, not wanting to let Kylian down, narrowed his eyes and held out his hand, "Alright, go get him! Kaiser Blood Vorse!" A beastly-blue warrior wearing spike armor and a purple jacket swung his axe towards Kylian.

Kylian, however, was unfazed as he held up a blue card. He smirked as he placed it on his duel disk, "...Unleash your fury, Kelvar!" A wolf appeared behind Kylian as it howled although it was too dark to see what it exactly looks like. Its howl cause the entire room to shake in its power.

As the ground trembled, Kylian chuckled a little, "This is awesome! It's been so long since I've found someone worthy of my skills!" He looked at his men, "Perk up, ladies! We're just getting started!" Kylian's monster, whose name is Kelvar, howled really loudly as it created a shockwave that created an explosion and pushed everyone back into the walls except for Kylian who stood proudly.

Everyone else was groaning from the pain of being slammed into the walls. Kylian laughed a little as the wind died down, "Get ready, Yuya Sakaki! I, Kylian Orman, am going to crush you!" Kylian smirked as he held up his card, "With my deck and Kelvar that is!" He started laughing even more as he looking forward to this.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION (REIJI'S OFFICE)**

Reiji was sitting in his desk as he held a tablet in front of him, showing him which members of LDS are accounted for since Shun agreed to give back the people he carded, which was one of the conditions he gave to him. He had Nakajima retrieve the carded members from Shun and put them somewhere safe for observation.

The information shown on the tablet reveals that mostly everyone that went missing is accounted for except for a couple others. Reiji was curious about this but then remembered that there was another comrade that was with Shun so that person must have the others. He'll have to deal with that later. For now, he'll focus on the task at hand.

"President." Reiji raised his head to see Nakajima entering his office. He put the tablet away and stood up to face Nakajima as he stopped in front of his desk, "How are they?" He was asking about the status of Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto after their duel with Kurosaki.

Nakajima frowned a little before replying, "They have suffered some injuries but they will recover in a couple days. The doctors have told me they will soon regain consciousness."

Reiji nodded in response, "I see." It was good news that they weren't seriously injured.

Nakajima, however, seemed a little hesitate before he asked, "President, what should we do with them when they regain consciousness?" They both knew that all three are going to ask questions and possibly even rebel against the deal they made with Kurosaki so he wondered what the president was going to do.

Reiji closed his eyes and turned his back, "That is an interesting question." He didn't say anything else as he walked towards the open window.

After around a minute of silence, Nakajima lowered his head to the ground, "...Should we erase their memories of those events?" They did have a method of erasing certain memories just in case of an emergency but he was a little hesitate to use something like on these students. However, it wasn't his decision to make, it was the president's.

Reiji didn't say anything for awhile as he was just staring at the window while Nakajima was wondering what he was thinking. After a few seconds, Reiji spoke, "...No. I think we have a better way to settle this. Besides, we haven't fully tested the machine so I don't think it is worth the risk." Nakajima raised his head in surprise from hearing Reiji's answer. Reiji turned to Nakajima, "Inform me when they regain consciousness. I want to talk to them myself." Nakajima, while wondering what Reiji had in mind, didn't object and bowed in response, "Yes, Mr. President." With everything said, Nakajima left the room to attend to his other duties.

Reiji was staring outside of his window in silence as he looked at the city. After a minute, he raised his hand and looked at it as he thought of one thing, " _...I will not be like my father."_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR (A COUPLE HOURS LATER)**

After having lunch with his family and waving goodbye to his brother while he went to You Show, Yuya started walking towards the harbor.

He was walking the streets and crowds of people in traffic. He was slowly getting more excited at his match as he walked closer to the harbor, still wondering what kind of match it will be.

Soon after, Yuya was close to the bridge that connected toward the harbor. He soon saw Ruri and the kids waving at him, "Big Bro Yuya!" He walked towards them with a smile, "Hey, everyone."

Tatsuya smiled at him, "Nico told us your duel would be at the harbor." Ayu raised her arm in excitement, "We'll be cheering you on for your second win!" Futoshi danced a little, "I'm getting the shivers just thinking about how close you are to entering!"

Yuya chuckled a little, "Thanks, guys." He then turned to Ruri in curiosity, "Ruri?" He wondered if she was going to say anything about this morning.

Ruri lowered her eyes before she got closer to Yuya and whispered, " _We can talk about it after the match, okay?"_ Yuya blinked his eyes for a second before he nodded with an understanding smile on his face, making her smile back.

Meanwhile, Ayu looked around curiously, "But...who exactly are you facing anyway?" She wondered what kind of duelist would want to duel at the harbor.

Yuya looked back at everyone, "His name is Kylian and he's the leader of a gang called the Duel Hunters." Ruri's eyes widened a little in surprise since she and Yuya heard that name when she helped Yuya fend off those bullies from before.

Futoshi looked a little confused, "Huh? You mean like a duel gang?" He has honestly never heard of them. Tatsuya, however, looked very puzzled as he had a thinking expression on his face, "Duel Hunters...I feel like I've heard of them before."

Ruri was now curious about this person, "What school does he belong to?"

Yuya turned his head towards her, "Well, I've recently learned from my brother that he used to be an ace for LDS' Ritual Course."

The kids looked surprised while Ruri had her eyes widened a little in curiosity from the news. Futoshi then pondered about something, "He used to be a part of LDS?" Tatsuya crossed his arms together as he had a thinking expression on his face, "I wonder why he would leave LDS…"

Before Yuya could respond, everyone heard someone shout, "That's right, Yuya!" Everyone turned to the direction of the harbor, wondering what that was coming from, when Nico pop up out of nowhere with a smile on his face, surprising everyone as they didn't notice him.

Nico walked towards Yuya, "I see you already found out much about your opponent. But it is more than just being in the Ritual course, Yuya! Some say that he's one of the strongest duelists that went to LDS." Nico stopped in front of Yuya as everyone else looked on in curiosity.

Yuya raised an eyebrow, "One of LDS' strongest?" He wondered if he would have faced him before during the bout between LDS and You Show. He only saw the aces of Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz: Masumi, Yaiba and Hokuto. To his knowledge, he doesn't recall them mentioning who the ace of LDS' Ritual Summoning was. Not only that, to say he's one of the strongest, made him even more curious.

Nico held out a hand, "He will be a tough challenge to overcome, but I have faith that you'll be able to pull it off!" Nico then smiled a little, "And I'm sure you'll pull off an amazing duel like before."

Yuya then let out a small smile, "Thanks, Nico." Yuya then proceeded to walk past everyone so that he could get on with meeting Kylian. Everyone else soon followed behind him.

However, across a few feet from them, someone was actually watching them from afar in intriguement. It was a young girl that had short light blue hair with purple tips and hazel eyes while wearing a blue leather jacket, gray tennis shoes, white pants, and a purple tanktop underneath. She had small pink headphones hanging around her neck. The girl tilted her head and narrowed her eyes in confusion, wondering what those people would doing at the harbor during this time of the day since she caught sight of them a minute ago. After thinking it wasn't much to be curious about, she simply shrugged it off and continued walking off in a different direction.

Soon after, everyone arrived at an empty field as Yuya was looking around the area, not seeing Kylian or his gang anywhere.

Ayu looked a little nervous as she looked back and forth as well, "This is a little unsettling…" She found it a little odd for the harbor to be empty right now. Ruri then put her hand on Ayu's shoulder, making her turn as Ruri gave a reassuring smile, "It will be alright. I will protect you." Ayu smiled in happiness and nodded.

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he felt that it was a little too quiet, " _He's around here somewhere…"_ He feels a lot of people's presence nearby but he can't see them. After a few seconds of silence, Yuya called out, "Where are you, Kylian? I know you're around here somewhere!"

There was no response for a moment as it was just pure silence with the sound of waves hitting the docks. After around half a minute, a voice was heard behind the warehouse near them, "...Heh. I'm impressed you actually noticed me." Then, lots of laughter were heard in different directions as soon after, Kylian walked from behind the warehouse and showed himself. Kylian smirked as he looked at Yuya, "Then, this'll definitely be fun." Bryan and the rest of Kylian's men then showed up, surrounding the entire area with satisfying smirks on their faces as well.

However, Bryan looked to his left and noticed the others that were with Yuya and his eyes widened in realization as he pointed at Ruri, "Hey! You're that girl who helped Yuya interfere with us before!" Ruri narrowed her eyes and glared at them as she recognized them from before as well.

Though before Bryan could do anything, Kylian yelled out, "Enough!" Bryan looked confused before Kylian turned his head to him, "Don't bother with her. We have bigger issues." Kylian then gestured to Yuya, saying that his duel with him is more important. Byran, soon agreeing with him, nodded in understanding and stepped back in order to watch.

Yuya and Kylian were staring at each other, not saying anything but were silently fired up with dueling each other right at this moment.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN LOCATION**

In a library with people watching in desks and chairs, Rin pointed a librarian duelist that was wearing glasses, a gray undershirt, and a patterned dress, "I activate Winter Bell's effect! Freezing Wind!" Winter Bell unleashed a blizzard storm toward the duelist who was pushed back into a bookcase. She hit the wood and groaned a little, "Even with all the knowledge, I still lost…"

 **RIN: WIN  
?: LOSE**

Rin waved a little, "Thank you for the duel!" She then smiled as she held up a fist in excitement, " _Alright, that's four wins now!"_ She only needs two more to qualify.

However, Rin looked at her bracelet with a frown on her face as she thought about last night, " _Ruri…Sora…"_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR**

Kylian cracked his knuckles a little, "I will say that you have been troublesome with my men before but this is when it ends now." He then grabbed his blue duel disk out his jacket pocket and placed it on his arm.

Yuya smirked in response as he pulled out his duel disk, "Yeah, but I bet it won't end like you think it will." He then placed his disk on his arm, "Either way, let's have a fun duel!"

Kylian raised an eyebrow, "Fun?" He then gave off an amused smile, "Oh wait, don't tell me you're one of those guys? People who think dueling is just for fun?"

Yuya looked a little confused, "Well...not entirely but having fun is a big part of dueling." However, he narrowed his eyes as he heard Kylian chuckle a little, "What's so funny?"

Kylian smiled while his eyes were narrowed, "Oh, just amused by who I'm talking to." He then activated his duel disk, "Well then, when I crush you, I'll be sure to show you what dueling is really all about."

The Duel Hunters, including Bryan, were cheering on, "Get him, Kylian!" "Show him the true might of the Duel Hunters!"

Yuya, not sure what Kylian was talking about or why he was saying that, simply narrowed his eyes and activated his duel disk. The others were watching in anticipation as the duel was starting. The kids looked a little nervous while Ruri clasped her hands together, wishing Yuya good luck.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **YUYA LP: 4000  
** **KYLIAN LP: 4000**

Kylian placed his fingers on his deck, "The first move is mine. I draw!" He looked at his current hand before grabbing a different card, "To start with, I Normal Summon Forest Keeper - Poison Amphibian (ATK: 0, **DEF: 1500** , LV: 3)!" Kylian summoned a yellow and black striped frog warrior that carried a shield as well as wearing an ancient brown tunic around its body.

He then placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn with that." He pointed at Yuya with an amused smile, "Now, show me what you're made of."

Futoshi couldn't help but glare at Kylian, "Who does this guy think he is?" Ayu raised her fist and cheered, "Show him how you duel, Big Bro Yuya!"

Yuya smiled and nodded at the kids before turning back to Kylian, "My turn, draw!" He then showed a monster in his hand, "I Normal Summon Pendulum Knight ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 500, LV: 4, PS: 2)!" A humanoid crimson knight with a blue crystal in the center of the armor appeared on Yuya's field.

Yuya held out his hand toward Kylian's monster, "Battle! Pendulum Knight attacks Poison Amphibian!" Pendulum Knight charged forward and slashed through Amphibian's shield, destroying the monster.

Kylian simply smirked a little, "Heh. Don't you know it is dangerous to come across a poisonous frog?" He held out his hand, "Poison Amphibian's effect activates! When this card is sent to the GY, I can target a monster on the field and it loses 800 ATK." From the explosion, a puddle of poison water came out of the ground and corroded Pendulum Knight's armor as it was weakened.

 **Pendulum Knight** ( **ATK: 1600** → **800** )

Yuya raised an eyebrow before he placed another card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

Kylian then drew his card, "It's my turn, I draw!" He took a card from his hand and showed a monster, "I activate Poison Amphibian's effect! By sending a "Forest" card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon this card back! However, Amphibian must be banished whenever it leaves the field." He sent a monster from his hand to the Graveyard before showing Amphibian, "Return to the field, Poison Amphibian ( **DEF: 1500** )!" A portal opened in the ground before Amphibian leaped out of it and landed next to Kylian.

"Now, I activate the effect of Forest Keeper - Armored Stinger! Since it was sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Forest Keeper" from my hand!" He then showed a monster, "So, I summon Forest Keeper - Harvest Bee ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 900, LV: 4)!" Appearing from a portal, a yellow bee with a lower body made out of stone and its upper body covered in green shrubs while having green energy lines covering its entire body. It also had a helmet made out of stone on its head.

"I Normal Summon Forest Keeper - Swinging Arctictis ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 1500, LV: 4)!" Kylian brought a brown bearcat that was wearing a tribal outfit while holding a horn in its left paw.

Kylian looked at Yuya, "When this monster is successfully summoned, I can add a "Forest" Ritual Magic from my Deck to my hand." Arctictis blew his horn before Kylian took a card out from his deck and showed it which was a Ritual Magic.

Tatsuya watched the duel cautiously, "He added a Ritual Magic…" Ruri looked on in curiosity, "Which means all he needs now is a Ritual Monster most likely…" Unless it was a magic card that allowed him to summon it from the Deck, Yuya will okay for now.

Kylian, however, just put the card back in his hand and smirked, "But why spoil the fun for now?" He then pointed at Yuya, "Battle! I attack Pendulum Knight with Harvest Bee!" Harvest Bee flew straight toward Pendulum Knight and headbutted the monster, breaking through the corroded armor and destroying it.

 **YUYA LP: 4000** → **3300**

Kylian held out his hand, "Now, Swinging Arctictis attacks you directly!" Arctictis swung his horn around before hurling itself toward Yuya.

Yuya pressed a button in retaliation, "Trap Card, open! Defense Draw! With this card, battle damage is reduced to 0 and I draw one card!" Arctictis' attack was blocked by a barrier before Yuya then drew a card from his deck.

Kylian just simply shrugged his shoulders, "Heh. Well, that's good enough for now. I end my turn."

One of Kylian's men, Genjo, raised a fist in excitement, "You see that?! That was just a taste of what our leader can do!" Katsuro cheered on, "Push this punk back even further!"

Ayu puffed her cheeks in irritation, "Those guys are getting on my nerves!" Futoshi frowned at them, "This is not giving me any shivers…" Ruri sweatdropped as she smiled a little, "Now, now…"

Yuya didn't respond to the Duel Hunters' cheering and proceeded to draw, "My turn, draw!" He placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Shard of Greed!" A piece of Pot of Greed appeared and floated in the air, next to Yuya.

Yuya held up two cards, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 Dharma-Eye Magician and Scale 8 Dragonpit Magician!" He placed them on his duel disk as they both appeared in pillars of light.

"With this, I can now summons monsters from Levels 3 to 7 at the same time!" The giant pendulum appeared as Yuya chanted, "Swing, my soul's Pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monsters!" Two monsters appeared from the portal, "From the Extra Deck, Pendulum Knight ( **ATK: 1600** )! And from my hand, Entermate Warrior Tiger ( **ATK: 1700** , DEF: 500, LV: 4)!" Pendulum Knight appeared back on the field along with a tiger wearing a red soldier outfit, green sweatpants, and bronze boots.

Kylian held out his hands in a semi-mocking gesture from seeing this summoning, "I must say, it is an honor to see the fabled Pendulum Summoning close up now." Though, he's not really worried in the slightest especially with what he has planned.

Yuya pointed at him, "Battle! I attack Swinging Arctictis with Pendulum Knight!" Pendulum Knight charged forward and slashed through Arctictis, destroying it.

 **KYLIAN LP: 4000** → **3900**

"Warrior Tiger attacks Harvest Bee!" Warrior charged forward as well and slashed Harvest with its claws and destroying the monster. Kylian didn't seem fazed as he continued to smile as he took the damage.

 **KYLIAN LP: 3900** → **3700**

Yuya looked at Kylian, "I activate Warrior Tiger's monster effect! When this card destroys my opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can add one "Entermate" Pendulum Monster from my Deck to my hand." He took a card from his Deck and showed it, "And I choose to add Skullcrobat Joker to my hand."

Kylian, however, smirked as he pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Revenge of the Forest! I can activate this card when my "Forest Keeper" monster is destroyed by battle. It destroys your monster that battled mine…" As he said that, Warrior Tiger was destroyed, "And then, I Special Summon my monster that was recently destroyed! Resurrect, Harvest Bee ( **ATK: 1500** )!" Harvest Bee returned to the field after the explosion passed.

Yuya gritted his teeth a little before he looked at his current hand, trying to decide his options, "I end my turn." But, after that, he started to get curious as he raised his head, "Kylian, I heard that you used to be an ace of LDS' Ritual Course."

Kylian raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Oh? So you've heard about that." He then shrugged his shoulders, "And? What about it?"

Yuya looked back at Kylian, "Well, from what I've read, you were really talented. Why would someone like you leave LDS for a duel gang?"

However, to his surprise, Kylian started laughing out loud which caused everyone else to be taken aback by this and looked straight at him. He soon stopped and turned his head to Yuya, "You don't even know me that much and you're asking me that?"

Yuya sheepishly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Call it curiosity at best."

Kylian stared at him for a few seconds before he smirked a little, "...Alright. I'll humor you. Just to keep it short and simple, I grew tired of LDS' teachings and chose to quit on my own terms." He them pointed at his men, "These guys decided to follow me because of my strength and I didn't really care. But, I figured why not use them to my advantage."

Yuya narrowed his eyes a little, "You grew tired of their teachings? What made you quit?"

Kylian couldn't help but sneer a little, "Sorry, but that's all you get. I don't see why I should tell you anything." He was honestly getting a little annoyed with this guy. First, he showed that he's the type that likes to have fun when dueling and now he's curious about his personal life. He is not here to make friends, just to have a challenge for once in a while.

Yuya didn't say anything as he was trying not to pry too much even though he was still curious as to what happened to him.

Kylian placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He looked at the card before he smirked at Yuya, "Alright, I think that's enough warming up now. It's time to get serious."

Kylian showed a Magic Card, "I activate Harvest Bee's monster effect! Once per turn, for every "Forest" card I reveal in my hand, Harvest Bee's Level increases by 1. I reveal Ceremony of the Forest in my hand." He showed the one card which increased Bee's Level by 1.

 **Forest Keeper - Harvest Bee** ( **LV: 4** → **5** )

Futoshi looked a little confused, "What's the point of doing that?" Tatsuya was confused as well before he had a look of realization on his face, "Wait...since he increased the Level, if he sacrifices both Harvest Bee and Amphibian, he would get…!" Ayu finished his sentence, "A Level 8 Ritual Monster!"

Kylian placed a card in his duel disk, "And now, I activate the Ritual Magic: Ceremony of the Forest!" Trees started to grow around the area as well as an altar being risen from the ground. Kylian's field soon resembled an ancient altar that would be seen in a forest.

"I tribute Harvest Bee and Poison Amphibian in order to Ritual Summon!" Harvest Bee and Amphibian disappeared from the field as a tornado whirled around the area.

As the wind was growing stronger, Kylian chanted, "Ancient beast that thrives in forests, guardian wolf of the magical creatures! Within the spirits of tribes, gather together for a rebirth! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 8! Forest Keeper - Kelvar Wolf ( **ATK: 2800** , DEF: 2300, LV: 8)!" As the tornado died down, a large silver wolf, that's three times Kylian's size, appeared on the field. It had chains hanging around its neck as well as green shrubs growing on its upper back. It also had blue eyes with one scar over the left one.

The wolf howled as it made its entrance, shaking the entire area as Yuya watched cautiously at the monster before him.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Meanwhile, in a circus-like arena, a duelist wearing white makeup and a colorful outfit drew his card, "My turn!"

Soon after that, Rin held out her hand toward him, "This will finish it! Attack, Winter Bell!" Winter Bell flew straight forward and knocked into the male duelist, knocking him out as he landed on the ground.

 **RIN: WIN  
** **?: LOSE**

Rin sighed a little as she sweatdropped, "Well, that one was... _interesting._ "

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR**

As soon as Kelvar stopped howling, he turned his head towards the duelist before him who was Yuya. The wolf growled as it was showing its fierceness, ready to fight alongside his duelist.

One of Kylian's men cheered, "There it is! Kylian's ace monster!" The others all cheered as well in excitement.

Kylian smiled as he gestured toward his deck, "Harvest Bee's effect activates. When this card is tributed by a card effect, like when I used it to Ritual Summon, I can add a "Forest" Magic or Trap from my Deck to my hand." Kylian then grabbed a card from his deck and added it to his hand.

Kylian pointed at Yuya, "Battle! Kelvar, attack Pendulum Knight! Force of the Earth!" Kelvar jumped into the air before smashing his claw against the ground, creating a fissure as the ground shook. Holes in the ground then formed around Pendulum Knight as it looked around bewildered before giant rock pillars erupted and pierced its armor, destroying the monster. Yuya grunted a little from the damage he took.

 **YUYA LP: 3300** → **2100**

The kids gasped in worry, "Big Bro Yuya!" Ruri lowered her eyes as she still felt reassured but couldn't help worry a little.

Kylian threw out his arm, "That is only the beginning! Kelvar's monster effect activates! When he destroys a monster by battle, I can return 1 card on the field to its owner's hand. And I think I'll choose your Shard of Greed!" Kelvar howled as a tornado formed around the area and blew Shard of Greed away, forcing Yuya to return it to his hand.

Kylian smirked, "I end my turn."

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "It's my turn, draw! I activate the Continuous Magic: Shard of Greed once again!" The shard appeared once again on the field.

"I Normal Summon Entermate Skullcrobat Joker ( **ATK: 1800** , DEF: 100, LV: 4, PS: 8)!" Skullcrobat Joker was summoned next to Yuya as he held out his hand, "Skullcrobat Joker's monster effect! When I successfully Normal Summon this card, I can add 1 "Entermate" monster, "Magician" Pendulum Monster, or "Odd-Eyes" monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Odd-Eyes Magician to my hand." He then showed the monster he added to his hand.

Yuya then raised his head toward Kylian, "With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Two monsters appeared from the portal as the pendulum was swinging, "Appear, from the Extra Deck, Pendulum Knight ( **ATK: 1600** )! And from my hand, Odd-Eyes Magician ( **ATK: 2300** , DEF: 1500, LV: 6, PS: 8)!"

Tatsuya raised a fist in excitement, "Alright, here comes the counterattack!" Futoshi danced a little in excitement, "I'm getting the shivers!"

Kylian didn't say anything for a few seconds before he then smirked, "Heh. You may have this special Pendulum Summoning but that's just what will lead to your downfall."

Yuya narrowed his eyes in confusion, "What?"

Kylian had an intense look in his eyes as he looked straight up and yelled, "Howl, Kelvar!" Kelvar howled really loud as a tornado formed from its body. Yuya put his arms in front of his face, trying to shield himself from the blustering winds and wondering what that monster is doing.

"Kelvar's other effect activates! When my opponent Special Summons a monster, I can halve their ATK and DEF while also negating their effects! Wolf Guardian's Gale!" Pendulum Knight and Odd-Eyes groaned in pain as they were being affected by the wind surrounding them with their power weakening.

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** ( **ATK: 2300** → **1150** ; DEF: 1500→750)  
 **Pendulum Knight** ( **ATK: 1600** → **800** ; DEF: 500→250)

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise as to what just happened. Ruri and the kids looked surprised as well with Tatsuya saying, "This is bad. If Big Bro Yuya's monsters have their effects negated as well as their strength cut in half, he can't do anything with them!"

Ruri's eyes widened in realization, "I get it now. Kylian knew that Yuya was going to Pendulum Summon and he prepared for this by having Kelvar out as a trap."

Yuya frowned a little as he realized the same thing, "You set me up…"

Kylian laughed a little as he smiled mockingly, "Wise up, Yuya. You should know what it takes to win a duel: the duelist's skills, the cards you use, and how well you know your opponent. Thinking of ridiculous things like helping others or having fun while dueling while forgetting the basics, that's your big mistake." He heard from his men how Yuya was willing to protect two kids they tried to take cards from and found it amusingly to say the least.

Yuya looked at Kylian, "Ridiculous, huh?"

Kylian replied, "Not that, that information is going to help you now. Sorry about that."

Nico watched Yuya with nervousness, " _This isn't good. I warned him that he would have a tough challenge. Well, hopefully he finds a way to break the mold for this situation."_

Yuya gritted his teeth before he looked at his current hand, wondering what he should do. After looking at his cards for a few seconds, he heard a voice, " _Master Yuya."_ Yuya looked up and saw that Odd-Eyes was looking at him while he was kneeling in pain from the effect he took. Despite that, he nodded and smiled at Yuya, " _Do whatever you think is right."_

Yuya looked at Odd-Eyes for a second before nodding with a smile. He turned his head back to Kylian, "Alright, then I'll show you how I duel! I'll show you how fun dueling can be and competitive at the same time."

Kylian then smiled amusingly, "Heh. Go ahead and try."

"I intend to." Yuya then grabbed a card and showed it, "And I'll start by activating the Quick-Play Magic: Dimension Magic!" A coffin with chains and bars around it appeared on the field.

"Since I have a Spellcaster-type monster on my field, I can target a monster I control and tribute it. Then, I Special Summon a Spellcaster from my hand. So, I release Pendulum Knight and summon Barrier Magician (ATK: 1000, **DEF: 2000** , LV: 5, PS: 9)!" Pendulum Knight was released from the field as the coffin opened up, revealing the armored magician walking out from the inside.

Yuya pointed at Kylian, "This effect also allows me to destroy a monster on the field and I choose Kelvar!" The coffin then opened up a portal that tried to suck up Kelvar as it was struggling to not get caught.

However, Kylian didn't look worried, "Not a bad move but I'm prepared for that." He threw out his arm, "I activate the effect of Ceremony of the Forest! By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can prevent Kelvar's destruction!" As Kylian's magic card was banished, the coffin stopped creating whirlwinds and disappeared altogether.

Yuya frowned before he placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

Kylian drew his card, "My turn, draw!" He then grabbed a card from his hand, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Sacred Forest of Protection!" Kelvar howled as he was glowing bright blue, "Now, as long as this card is on my field, my Forest Keepers can't be targeted by my opponent's card effects."

He smiled as he placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate another Ritual Magic: Ceremony of the Forest! I tribute Forest Keeper - Strategist Elf in my hand in order to Ritual Summon!" A silhouette of a magical elf warrior that wore a wooden, brown battle outfit along with a leafy hunter cap and wooden bow appeared on the field momentarily before being turned into blue flames that surrounded the forest around the area. Kylian then chanted, "Guardian of the shadows that watches over ancient spirits! Manifest in this world for chaos and order! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 6! Forest Keeper - Shadow Crebain ( **ATK: 2200** , DEF: 1700, LV: 6)!" Out of the fire, a giant black crow appeared as it flew across the field and landed next to Kelvar. The monster had a helmet made of bones covering its head along with purple lines all around its wings though mostly from the inside.

Ayu looked a little worried and scared, "He summoned another Ritual Monster…" Now, there are two on Kylian's field which isn't good for Big Bro Yuya. And on top of that, this one looks a little scary.

Tatsuya, however, noticed something about the Ritual Summon and pointed at Kylian, "Wait a minute! You only tributed a Level 3 monster to summon a Level 6! That shouldn't be enough!" Normally, to his knowledge, a duelist has to tribute monsters with the total amount of Levels to be equal or more than the Ritual Monster's.

Ruri frowned a little as she had a thinking expression on her face, "That normally shouldn't be the case. Unless…" She then realized something, "...it's an effect."

Kylian turned to Yuya's friends and smirked, "So you noticed. But, sorry to disappoint, it is enough." He gestured his duel disk, "Strategist Elf's effect allows me to use this card as the entire requirement for the Ritual Summon of a Forest Keeper. Therefore, I didn't need anymore monsters to tribute."

Ayu and Tatsuya were taken aback by this information while Futoshi was pondering for a moment, "Wait a minute...there are monsters that can just be used as the only monster needed for a Ritual Summon?"

Ruri nodded as she looked at Kylian, "Yes, there are rare monsters that can do that but it is very helpful for Ritual Summoning especially if you don't have enough monsters in your hand or field."

Kylian held out his hand, "Well, enough about that. Now, Sacred Forest of Protection's effect activates! Each time a Forest Keeper is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I gain 500 LP!" The card glowed a bit before Kylian felt more refreshed than ever.

 **KYLIAN LP: 3700** → **4200**

"Battle! Shadow Crebain attack Odd-Eyes Magician! Dark Aerial!" Crebain had dark purple flowing around its body as it flew straight towards Odd-Eyes and pierced his cloak with its beak. Odd-Eyes was groaning as he was destroyed, " _My apologies, Master Yuya."_

 **YUYA LP: 2100** → **1050**

Yuya clenched his teeth in frustration before moving his arm away, " _Thank you, Odd-Eyes."_

Kylian held out his hand toward Yuya, "And now, Kelvar attack Skullcrobat Joker!" Kelvar leaped into the air as it was about to attack.

Ruri and the kids looked worried as this attack will put Yuya more at a disadvantage. The kids cried out, "Big Bro Yuya!"

Yuya, however, narrowed his eyes as he pressed a button, "I activate the Trap Card: Magician's Selection!" Skullcrobat and Barrier Magician flew next to each other that formed a magic seal that blocked Kelvar's attack.

Yuya then smiled as he held up a fist, "When my Spellcaster-type monster is targeted for an attack, this card negates the attack!" He pointed at Kylian's monsters, "And then, it destroys one monster my opponent controls that has the lowest ATK!" Since Crebain has 2200 ATK while Kelvar has 2800 ATK, Yuya's trap has to destroy Crebain now.

Kylian clicked his tongue before he glanced down toward his duel disk, " _I could banish my second Ceremony to protect Crebain. But…"_ He moved his head to look at Yuya, " _I get the feeling he's up to something."_

Kylian simply smiled as he grabbed Crebain's card, "Fine. Crebain, you're destroyed." Crebain let out a cry before it exploded and vanished. And since Crebain was sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, Sacred's effect activates.

 **KYLIAN LP: 4200** → **4700**

"However, since Crebain was sent from the field to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can target up to two Magic or Trap Cards on the field and destroy them." He pointed at Yuya, "I choose your Dharma-Eye and Dragonpit Magician in your Pendulum Zones." Yuya was surprised by what he heard as both of the monsters were destroyed and sent to the Extra Deck.

Yuya watched his two monsters destroyed and was confused as to how Kylian knew he could destroy them. Kylian saw the confusion on Yuya's face and smirked, "Surprised?" He shrugged his shoulders, "I told you. One of the key things to winning a duel is to research your opponent and I definitely looked into more as to what your Pendulum Cards can do. For example, I found out that they are treated as Magic Cards while they are in the Pendulum Zones."

Yuya lowered his eyes a little while feeling a little impressed, " _He definitely has researched a lot if he knows that much."_

Kylian looked at Yuya, "I end my turn."

Yuya placed his fingers on his deck, "It's my turn, draw!" He pointed at Shard of Greed, "Shard of Greed's effect activates! Each time I draw a card during my Draw Phase, it gains a Greed Counter." A greedy face then appeared onto the shard itself.

 **Shard of Greed** ( **GC: 0** → **1** )

Yuya placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Spellbook Inside the Pot in which both of us have to draw 3 cards." Yuya and Kylian drew their cards and added them to their hands.

Yuya saw one of the cards he drew and smiled, " _Perfect."_ This will definitely help him defeat Kylian's ace.

Yuya raised his head toward his monsters, "I release Barrier Magician in order to Tribute Summon Entermate Clay Breaker ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1000, LV: 6)!" Barrier Magician vanished from the field and then a large soldier made out of clay appeared in its place that was also wearing a pink and white jester outfit.

Yuya pointed at Kylian, "Battle! I attack Kelvar with Clay Breaker!" Clay Breaker jump straight towards Kelvar.

The kids were confused with Futoshi saying, "Huh? But Clay Breaker doesn't have enough ATK!" Ruri was wondering the same thing but had a feeling there was more to that monster.

Yuya, however, smiled as he held out his hand, "At this moment, I activate Clay Breaker's monster effect! When this Tribute Summoned card battles my opponent's monster, I can make that monster lose 500 ATK for every face-up Pendulum Monster in my Extra Deck until the end of the turn! And this effect doesn't target so Sacred Forest of Protection has no effect!"

Kylian gasped and widened his eyes in shock from hearing the effect as he then turned his head to where Clay Breaker was flying. Giant spheres of clay gathered around Clay Breaker as Yuya continued, "There are currently five Pendulum Monsters face-up in my Extra Deck ( **5 x 500 = 2500** ) so Kelvar loses 2500 ATK!" The balls of clay were then hurled toward Kelvar, pelting and covering the wolf in sticky clay as it howled and struggled to get out of it.

 **Forest Keeper - Kelvar Wolf** ( **ATK: 2800** → **300** )

Kylian gritted his teeth before he held out his hand, "I activate the effect of the second Ceremony of the Forest and banish it from my Graveyard to prevent Kelvar from being destroyed!" As his second ritual magic was banished, Clay Breaker then punched Kelvar in the face but wasn't destroyed. Kylian grunted as he was pushed back a few feet from the blunt force of the attack.

 **KYLIAN LP: 4700** → **3000**

The Duel Hunters could only watch in surprise from seeing their leader being pushed back. One of them, Genjo, yelled out in distress, "Kylian!"

Before they could say anything else, Yuya already had his hand out toward Kylian, "And now, Skullcrobat Joker attacks Kelvar!" Skullcrobat Joker flew towards Kelvar and kicked it in the face, destroying it finally.

 **KYLIAN LP: 3000** → **1500**

Ayu had a happy smile on her face and cheered, "He did it!" Tatsuya was getting excited now, "With this, Big Bro Yuya now has more of a chance to win!" Futoshi danced a little in happiness, "The shivers!" Ruri nodded in agreement as she smiled, "Yeah. Now, Yuya can fight back again."

Meanwhile, the Duel Hunters were shocked by what just happened: seeing Kylian's ace actually getting destroyed. They have never seen that during any of the times they watched him duel. Bryan was the most taken aback as he stared in shock, "No way…"

However, after a few seconds of silence, everyone could hear laughing coming from Kylian who looked amused since seeing his ace monster's destruction. Yuya raised an eyebrow from seeing this laughter as well, wondering what he was thinking.

Kylian soon stopped laughing and smirked, "Very interesting. So I was right making the correct choice in dueling you. I can't remember the last time my ace was successfully destroyed but don't think it changes anything." He clenched his fist in excitement, "That just makes it all the worthwhile to crush you." He held out his hand, "When my "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster is destroyed, Strategist Elf's effect activates from my Graveyard! I can now add this card back to my hand." Kylian took Elf from his Graveyard and added it back to his hand.

Yuya, while wondering what Kylian is up to, placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

Kylian drew his card, "My turn, draw!" He then showed a card from his hand, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Different Dimension Forestry! This allows me to target up to 3 of my banished "Forest" cards and return them to the Graveyard." Thanks to his magic card, Kylian returned Poison Amphibian and his two Ceremony of the Forests back to the Graveyard.

"Next, I activate the Magic Card: Forestry Recovery Plans which enable me to add both a "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster and a "Forest" Ritual Magic from my Graveyard back to my hand." With the other magic card in play, Kylian added both Kelvar and Ceremony back to his hand.

Kylian smirked as he showed the card he just added, "I activate the Ritual Magic: Ceremony of the Forest once again! I tribute Strategist Elf in my hand in order to Ritual Summon!" A blue flame bursted in the middle of the forest as Kylian yelled, "Ritual Summon! Come back, Forest Keeper - Kelvar Wolf ( **ATK: 2800** )!" Appearing from the fire, Kelvar came back to the field and howled fiercely. Also, since a Forest Keeper was just sent to the Graveyard by a card effect again, Sacred's effect activates as well.

 **KYLIAN LP: 1500** → **2000**

The kids looked a little concerned for Yuya as Kylian's ace reappeared as Ayu said, "The wolf is back again…"

Kylian showed another card in his hand, "And now, I activate the Ritual Magic: Forest Revival of Restoration! This allows me to Ritual Summon a monster from my hand or Graveyard by shuffling monsters from my hand and Graveyard into the Deck!" He took two cards from his Graveyard and showed them, "I shuffle Armored Stinger and Harvest Bee back into my Deck."

A tornado temporarily formed around the trees as Kylian shouted out, "Ritual Summon! Come back, Forest Keeper - Shadow Crebain ( **ATK: 2200** )!" Crebain reappeared back on the field from the storm.

Kylian pointed at Yuya, "Battle! Kelvar, attack Skullcrobat Joker! Force of the Earth!" Kelvar jumped into the air before smashing his claw against the ground again, creating holes which made giant rock pillars erupt and pierce Joker, destroying the monster.

However, Yuya retaliated by pressing a button, "I activate the Trap Card: Cold Performance! When a Pendulum Monster I control is destroyed, I can then place it in my Pendulum Zone and I take no damage this turn." After that, Yuya grabbed Joker's card and placed it in his Pendulum Zone, making him appear in the pillar of light.

Kylian smirked and held out his hand, "So you survived this turn but it won't matter. I activate Kelvar's effect and return Shard of Greed to your hand again!" Kelvar howled up a tornado that blew away Yuya's card and forced it to be returned to his hand again.

"Shadow Crebain attacks Clay Breaker. And it is useless to try and use Clay Breaker's effect because with Crebain on my field, you're not allowed to activate your monster's effects during the Battle Phase." Yuya was a little surprised as Crebain swooped down and destroyed Clay Breaker.

"I set a card and end my turn." With his turn being done, he placed a face-down on his field.

Yuya drew his card, "It's my turn, draw!" He looked at his current hand for a second before showing one of his cards, "I set the Scale 1 Entermate Lebellman in my Pendulum Zone!" A small pinkish fairy made out of metal with a bell as its head along with stars painted on its cheeks appeared in the other pillar of light.

"With the set Pendulum Scale of Scale 1 Lebellman and Scale 8 Skullcrobat Joker, I Pendulum Summon!" Three monsters appeared from the portal, "Appear from the Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Magician ( **DEF: 1500** ), Dharma-Eye Magician (ATK: 2000, **DEF: 2500** , LV: 7, PS: 2), and Dragonpit Magician (ATK: 900, **DEF: 2700** , LV: 7, PS: 8)!"

Kylian smirked as he looked at the sky and yelled, "Howl, Kelvar! Wolf Guardian's Gale!" Kelvar howled again as a tornado formed around Yuya's monsters and syphoned their energies.

 **Odd-Eyes Magician** (ATK: 2300→1150, **DEF: 1500→750** )  
 **Dharma-Eye Magician** (ATK: 2000→1000, **DEF: 2500** → **1250** )  
 **Dragonpit Magician** (ATK: 900→450, **DEF: 2700** → **1350** )

Yuya narrowed his eyes in minor annoyance, "When I successfully Pendulum Summon at least 2 or more monsters at the same time, I can add Clay Breaker from my Graveyard back to my hand." He then added Clay Breaker back to his hand.

Tatsuya looked concerned, "Big Bro Yuya's monsters will just keep getting weakened every time he Pendulum Summons them." Both Ayu and Futoshi frowned in response, silently agreeing with him.

Ruri looked worried as well but then noticed something about Yuya's monsters, " _He has two Level 7 monsters…"_ At that moment, she knew what Yuya was about to do.

Yuya held out his hand, "I overlay my Level 7 Dharma-Eye and Dragonpit Magician!" Both of his monsters turned into dark energy that went into a portal.

Nico looked shocked when he heard that, "What?!" He recognized this summoning and didn't know what to say as he watched this.

"Spellcaster that transcends the cosmos! Gather all of your energy and come down to this land to unleash your force upon your foes! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 7! Spacetime Magician ( **ATK: 2800** , DEF: 2000, RNK: 7, OVU: 2)!" Coming out of the portal, Spacetime appeared next to Yuya with his staff in tow.

Nico stared at the monster in shock, "A-An Xyz Summon…" Not only does Yuya know how to Fusion Summon, he can Xyz Summon as well.

The Duel Hunters were seeing this as well with some of them angry since they seen Yuya do this before against them before and the others were surprised.

Kylian looked a little amused by this as he placed his fingers under his chin, "Fusion, Pendulum and Xyz….You certainly have a lot of variety with your dueling skills."

Yuya showed one of his cards, "I release Odd-Eyes Magician in order to Tribute Summon Entermate Clay Breaker ( **ATK: 2000** ) again!" Odd-Eyes nodded with a smile before he vanished from the field and Clay Breaker appeared back in its place.

Yuya looked at Kelvar with a cautious expression on his face, " _I can't target Kelvar because of Sacred Forest of Protection. In that case…"_ He decided to try something different.

Yuya pointed at his monster, "I activate Spacetime Magician's monster effect! By using an Overlay Unit, I can add 1 DARK monster from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand." One of Spacetime's Overlay Units vanished as Yuya showed a card he took from his deck, "I add Power Magician to my hand."

 **Spacetime Magician** ( **OVU: 2** → **1** )

Yuya held out his hand, "Battle! Spacetime Magician attacks Shadow Crebain!" Spacetime charged up a dark sphere of energy from his staff and launched it at Crebain, engulfing the monster entirely and destroying it.

 **KYLIAN LP: 2000** → **1400**

Kylian held out his hand, "Crebain's effect activates! Since this monster was destroyed by battle, I target and destroy your monsters in your Pendulum Zones!" The explosion from Crebain's destruction created a slash of wind that destroyed both Lebellman and Skullcrobat.

"Finally, I attack Kelvar with Clay Breaker!" As Clay Breaker flew towards Kelvar, it launched spheres of clay that trapped and weakened Kelvar once again.

 **Forest Keeper - Kelvar Wolf** ( **ATK: 2800** → **300** )

Kylian clicked his tongue in annoyance, "You're naive if you think the same thing will work on me twice!" He then pressed a button, "I activate the Trap Card: Forest Barrier of Life! I discard a card and, until the end of the next turn, Kelvar can't be destroyed by battle or card effects and I take no damage from battles involving it!" Kylian sent a card to the Graveyard before a green barrier formed around Kelvar. Clay Breaker punched the barrier but, to no avail, Kelvar wasn't destroyed and Kylian didn't take any damage.

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "I end my turn." Since it was the end of the turn, Clay Breaker's effect wears off as the clay disappears from Kelvar.

 **Forest Keeper - Kelvar Wolf** ( **ATK: 300** → **2800** )

Kylian placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He placed the card he drew in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Treasure Cards of Ceremonial Rites! Since I control a Ritual Monster, I draw two cards!"

Kylian drew his two cards and looked at them before he smirked as he showed one of them, "I activate the Magic Card: Lightning Vortex! By discarding a card, I destroy all of my opponent's face-up monsters!" After Kylian discarded his other card, his magic card temporarily showed up and unleashed lightning upon all of Yuya's monsters, destroying them.

Yuya gritted his teeth a little frustrated as he now had no monsters to protect him nor a way to summon them back right now. He gestured his duel disk, "When Spacetime Magician is destroyed, I can add a "Magician" monster from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand." He then took a card from his deck and added it to his hand.

Kylian smiled as he held out his hand, "This is the end! Kelvar, attack Yuya directly! Force of the Earth!" Kelvar smashed his claw against the ground which made the earth pillars fissure toward Yuya.

The Duel Hunters were cheering on as it looked like their Kylian is going to win. Bryan was getting pumped up again, "Aw, yeah! It's over now!"

The kids and Ruri were concerned with the kids shouting out, "Big Bro Yuya!"

Yuya, however, narrowed his eyes and held out his hand, "I activate the effect of Barrier Magician! When I'm about to take battle damage, I can send this card from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard to reduce the damage to 0 and end the Battle Phase!" Yuya sent Barrier Magician to his Graveyard before a red barrier appeared around Yuya, shielding him from the earth pillars.

Kylian grunted in irritation before he looked back at Yuya, "Fine. I end my turn."

Yuya sighed in relief as he managed to survive another round, " _Well, that was a close one."_ He looked at his duel disk along with his current hand, " _I've got no way to Pendulum Summon again this turn and, even if I could, Kelvar will just negate and take away their strength again."_

He narrowed his eyes as he looked at his deck, " _There must be something I can do. I guess it depends on what I draw next. Here goes."_

Yuya drew his card, "I draw!" He paused for a few seconds before turning over the card to look at it. He then recognized the card he drew: it was a certain magic card. He looked at the card in curiosity, "This is…"

However, after looking at the card for a few seconds, his eyes widened in realization before he immediately got an idea as he smiled. He turned his head back to Kylian as he picked up another card, "First, I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Mystical Space Typhoon which lets me target and destroy your Sacred Forest of Protection!" A typhoon whirled up and destroyed Kylian's continuous magic.

Yuya held up another card, "When I don't have any monsters on my field, I can Special Summon Entermate Copy Chameleon ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 2100, LV: 5) from my hand!" Yuya summoned a green chameleon that had a yellow ring coiled around its tail, wearing a purple polka-dotted bowtie and a black steampunk hat with goggles on the front of it.

"Now, I activate Copy Chameleon's monster effect! I target one monster on the field and decrease its Level by 1. I choose Kelvar Wolf!" Chameleon used the ring around its tail to launch a small blast that reduced Kelvar's Level.

 **Forest Keeper - Kelvar Wolf** ( **LV: 8** → **7** )

Kylian narrowed his eyes in confusion, "What are you up to? What's the point of lowering Kelvar's level?"

Yuya simply smiled in response, "You're about to find out." He then grabbed the card he was looking at earlier, "I activate the Ritual Magic: Magician's Ritual!" The magic card appeared face-up on Yuya's field.

Kylian's eyes widened in shock from hearing what Yuya played. Nico was shocked as well, "What?!" Yuya can Ritual Summon as well?

Yuya looked at Kylian, "With this card, I am able to Ritual Summon any "Magician" Ritual Monster from my hand, Deck or Graveyard. And guess what…" He pointed at Kelvar, "If my opponent controls a Special Summoned monster on his field, I can also send Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard as well for the requirements." An ancient shrine with green energy lines around the main body of the rock formation appeared behind Yuya.

Yuya showed one card in his hand while taking out another from his Extra Deck, "I tribute Power Magician in my hand as well as send Pendulum Knight from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard in order to Ritual Summon!" Pendulum Knight appeared in a transparent form along with a magician with spiky, fiery red hair and hazel eyes. He was wearing a brown coat, black arm guards, and was wielding a short, pointy wooden staff in his right hand. Both monster transformed into white flames that surrounded the shrine before a pillar of light shined over the entire structure.

"Magical messenger of the heavens, guardian of ancient traditions! Guide a path in order to shine the light and darkness! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 7! Cleric Magician ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 2600, LV: 7)!" From the pillar of light, a male muscular magician appeared on Yuya's field. He was wearing a sky blue robe with white stripes on the edges, black boots, and had a white hood draped over his head. He was also holding a silver cane with a blue orb on the end with his left hand.

Nico looked at Yuya with a expression of both shock and awe on his face, "A-Amazing…" Yuya is proving to be more and more impressive every duel. First, he witnessed his Pendulum Summon. Then, overtime he witnessed him Fusion and Xyz Summoning. Now, he sees a Ritual Summon from Yuya which he rarely sees but it is a sight to behold.

Tatsuya looked amazed by this, "A brand new Ritual Monster!" Ayu was surprised and in awe, "Not only that, it's a very cool magician!" Futoshi danced a little in excitement, "I'm getting the shivers!" Ruri nodded in agreement as she smiled at the sight but was also curious as to what this monster can do in response to Kylian's.

Kylian stared at the monster for a few more seconds before he smirked, "Heh. Well, you may have caught me off guard with that but don't celebrate just yet." He held out his hand and yelled, "Howl, Kelvar! Wolf Guardian's Gale!" Kelvar howled as a tornado appeared and surrounded Cleric Magician.

However, to his surprise, after the tornado stopped, Cleric appeared to be unharmed as it hasn't lost any of its strength or abilities. Kylian was both confused and angry by this, "What the…?! Why hasn't it lost any of its strength?"

Yuya simply smiled and held up a finger in a pointedly manner, "Cleric Magician is unaffected by the effects of any monsters that have an equal or lower Level than his Level."

Kylian narrowed his eyes before he realized what happened, "That's why you lowered Kelvar's Level!" Kelvar was Level 8 and Cleric was Level 7. Under normal circumstances, Kelvar's effect should have still affected Cleric but because it now has the same level as Cleric, it is no longer effective. He surmised that Yuya had planned this in order to counter Kelvar's power.

After realizing he had been outplayed, his eyes got intense as he clenched his fist in frustration before threw out his arm, "Even if Cleric is unaffected, it is still not strong enough to defeat Kelvar!"

However, to his confusion, Yuya simply smirked before he placed a card in his duel disk, "I wonder about that. I activate the Continuous Magic: Challenge Stairs!"

Yuya held out his hand, "Battle! I attack Kelvar Wolf with Cleric Magician!" As Kylian wondered what Yuya was up to, Cleric Magician flew into the air and charged up light into his cane. Yuya wasn't done as he pointed at Cleric, "Since Power Magician was used as a tribute to Ritual Summon this card, Cleric Magician gains 1000 ATK during the Battle Phase!" A silhouette of Power Magician appeared behind Cleric momentarily, giving him more power in a fiery, red aura.

 **Cleric Magician** ( **ATK: 2600** → **3600** )

Kylian's eyes widened in surprise, "3600 ATK…" It is stronger than Kelvar now.

After Cleric was done charging up his attack, Yuya yelled out, "Guidance of the Beyond!" Cleric pointed his cane and launched a large beam of light towards Kelvar.

Kylian gritted his teeth before he retaliated, "I banish Ceremony of the Forest in order to prevent Kelvar from being destroyed!" The beam hit Kelvar who howled in pain before he was pushed back a little but wasn't destroyed.

 **KYLIAN LP: 1400** → **600**

Yuya pointed at his cards, "I activate the effect of Challenge Stairs! When a monster I controlled battled an opponent's monster but wasn't destroyed, I can send one card on my field to the Graveyard in order to have it attack again!" Kylian was even more shocked as he knew what that meant as Chameleon was sent to the Graveyard.

"Cleric Magician attack Kelvar once again! Guidance of the Beyond!" Cleric unleashed his beam of light onto Kelvar who howled in determination before it was destroyed. Kylian, also still shocked, couldn't say anything while he grunted in pain as he was pushed back a few feet.

 **KYLIAN LP: 600** → **0**

 **YUYA: WIN  
** **KYLIAN: LOSE**

There was silence for a while as it took a moment for everyone to realize what just happened. The Duel Hunters, Bryan especially, were in shock what they saw.

Tatsuya smiled in excitement, "He did it!" Ayu cheered, "Big Bro Yuya did it!" Futoshi looked happy as well, "That was an amazing match!"

Ruri smiled in happiness for her friend, "Well done, Yuya."

Kylian kneel down as he stared at the ground in shock, "That is...impossible…!" He smashed his fists the ground in irritation, "I had everything planned! How can this be?"

Yuya looked at Kylian, "Nothing is ever predetermined in a duel. Anything can happen as long as you believe your cards, Kylian."

After around a few minutes, Yuya, Ruri and the kids left the harbor in satisfaction. The kids were talking amongst each other about how exciting the match was.

Yuya smiled as he now needed only two more wins left to qualify. However, Ruri tapped his shoulder, "Yuya?" Yuya turned his head to Ruri in curiosity, wondering what she wants. However, Ruri seemed a little hesitate as she frowned while looking at the ground. After a few seconds of thinking, her eyes seemed determined as she raised her head to Yuya, "...I think it is time that I tell you something."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN CHESS SCHOOL**

At a chess playing school, one of the chess pieces fell down on Sora's opponent, crushing and defeating him in the match.

 **SORA: WIN  
** **?: LOSE**

Sora smiled as he held his arm out, "And that's checkmate! Right?" He turned to Yuzu in curiosity but noticed she was looking a little conflicted.

Much to Sora's confusion, Yuzu was thinking about something Ruri said that bothered her. It has been bugging her ever since yesterday and she's not sure what to think right now.

* * *

 _MAIAMI CITY - HIRAGI RESIDENCE_

 _Flashback (A few hours ago, last night)_

 _Rin looked at Yuzu in both wonder and curiosity, "Yuto wants us to meet him at the harbor in a couple days?" Yuzu nodded in confirmation._

 _Rin smiled as she turned to Ruri, "That's great, isn't it Ruri? All of us can finally meet your friend."_

 _However, Ruri seemed a little hesitate as she looked at the ground, "...Yeah." Rin and Yuzu saw the hesitation on Ruri's face and were immediately bothered as to why Ruri could looked troubled by this good news._

 _However, even seeing Ruri's hesitation, Yuzu had a look of determination on her face as she felt she needed to ask her something. She looked at Ruri, "Ruri?" Ruri raised her toward Yuzu before she continued, "I want to ask you something."_

 _Yuzu narrowed her eyes, "Earlier, Lucine told me to not bring Sora with us when we meet them. Do you have any idea why?" She had to know about this otherwise this wouldn't make any more sense to her. She doesn't have a clue as to why they don't want Sora around._

 _Ruri's eyes widened in surprise before she turned her head to the side and frowned, feeling very hesitate to answer. After a minute of silence, she decided to speak, "It might be...because they don't trust him." She stuttered a little as she said that._

 _Rin raised an eyebrow in confusion, "They don't trust him?" Yuzu was a little confused as well, "Why would that be the case?"_

 _Ruri didn't answer right away as she still seemed hesitate to answer. However, she raised her head towards Yuzu while having a expression of both determination and sadness on her face, "Because...he's involved with the reason I don't like Fusion Summoning."_

 _Flashback End_

* * *

Yuzu frowned a little as she recalled that time. She thought of one thing, " _What does this mean?"_ She turned to Sora in confusion, " _Sora, who exactly are you?"_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION (REIJI'S OFFICE)**

Reiji was sitting at his deck with his hands under his chin as Nakajima spoke through a communication window, "President, we've detected another unprecedented amount of Fusion Summoning energy in the city center."

Reiji nodded his head before standing up and turning towards the window, "I see. It seems he is winning as well." From the research he has done, he had a good idea now as to who was causing this immense Fusion Summoning readings and will have to make sure to keep a close eye on him.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - UNKNOWN WAREHOUSE**

Meanwhile, at the Duel Hunters' hideout, boxes were heard being thrown all of the place and breaking.

Kylian's voice was heard along with some kicking, "Impossible! Unbelievable! I actually lost!" Kylian punched a crate that was nearby which caused it tumble to the ground. Kylian's men looked a little troubled as they didn't know what to do right now. Kylian noticed the looks on his men's faces as he clenched his fist, "What are you guys staring at?" They all backed away a little in fear.

Kylian gritted his teeth as he stared at his fist, "Next time, I'll definitely…!"

However, a voice was heard outside, "...Do you want to win against Yuya Sakaki?"

Kylian turned towards the door in confusion, "Hm? What's that?"

Footsteps were heard as someone got closer and closer to the entrance. The voice, who seemed to a man's, spoke, "Do you want to win against him? Would you like to become even stronger?" A man's shadow was hovering over the light of the entrance, obscuring everyone else's view of the man.

Bryan looked a little cautious as he glared at the mysterious man, "And who the heck are you?"

The man paid no mind to Bryan and spoke again, "I can grant that wish that for you."

Kylian looked both surprised and confused, "...What did you say?"

The man's shadow showed a cruel smile on his face as he piqued this boy's curiosity.

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Forest Keeper - Poison Amphibian  
** (LV: 3, Aqua, EARTH, ATK: 0, DEF: 1500)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is sent to the GY: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; That monster loses 800 ATK. If this card is in the GY: You can send 1 "Forest" card from your hand to the GY; Special Summon this card but banish it when it leaves the field. You can only use each effect of "Forest Keeper - Poison Amphibian" once per turn.

 **Pendulum Knight  
** (LV: 4, Warrior, LIGHT, ATK: 1600, DEF: 500, PS: 2)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ If a "Magician" Pendulum Monster is on your field: You can Special Summon this card from your Pendulum Zone.  
 _Monster Effect:_ Your opponent's monster(s) cannot target other Pendulum Monsters you control with attacks except this card.

 **Forest Keeper - Armored Stinger  
** (LV: 4, Insect, EARTH, ATK: 1600, DEF: 1100)  
 _Monster Effect:_ This card gains 200 ATK for every monster your opponent controls. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster: Inflict piercing damage. If this card is sent from the hand to the GY by a card effect: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or below "Forest Keeper" from your hand.

 **Forest Keeper - Harvest Bee  
** (LV: 4, Insect, EARTH, ATK: 1500, DEF: 900)  
 _Monster Effect:_ Once per turn, you can reveal any number of "Forest" cards in your hand; Increase this card's Level by 1 for each card revealed by this effect until the end of the turn. If this card is Tributed or sent from your hand to the GY by a card effect: You can add 1 "Forest" Magic or Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Forest Keeper - Harvest Bee" once per turn.

 **Forest Keeper - Swinging Arctictis  
** (LV: 4, Beast, EARTH, ATK: 1500, DEF: 1500)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Forest" Ritual Magic from your Deck to your hand. When you Ritual Summon a "Forest Keeper" monster, you can banish this card from your GY as 1 of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon.

 **Revenge of the Forest** (Trap Card) - Activate only if a "Forest Keeper" monster you control is destroyed by battle. Destroy the monster that battled it and then, if you do, Special Summon the destroyed "Forest Keeper" monster back to your field.

 **Ceremony of the Forest** (Ritual Magic) - This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster. You must also Tribute monsters from your hand and/or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. If a "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster you control would be destroyed: You can banish this card from your GY instead.

 **Forest Keeper - Kelvar Wolf  
** (LV: 8, Beast, EARTH, Ritual, ATK: 2800, DEF: 2300)  
 _Monster Effect:_ You can Ritual Summon this card using any "Forest" Ritual Magic Card. You can only use each of these effects of "Forest Keeper - Kelvar Wolf" once per turn.  
• When your opponent Special Summons a monster(s): You can halve that monster's ATK/DEF and negate their effects as long as it is on the field. (These effects last even if this card leaves the field)  
• When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: You can target 1 card on the field; return it to its owner's hand.  
• If this card is Tributed or sent from your hand to the GY by a card effect: You can Special Summon 1 "Forest Keeper" monster from GY except "Forest Keeper - Kelvar Wolf".

 **Sacred Forest of Protection** (Continuous Magic) - "Forest Keeper" monsters cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects. Each time a "Forest Keeper" monster is sent to the GY by a card effect: Gain 500 LP.

 **Forest Keeper - Strategist Elf  
** (LV: 3, Spellcaster, EARTH, ATK: 1300, DEF: 1100)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If you Ritual Summon exactly 1 "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster with a card effect that requires use of monsters, this card can be used as the entire requirement. Once per turn, if a "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster you control is destroyed: You can add this card from your GY to your hand.

 **Forest Keeper - Shadow Crebain  
** (LV: 6, Winged-Beast, EARTH, Ritual, ATK: 2200, DEF: 1700)  
 _Monster Effect:_ You can Ritual Summon this card using any "Forest" Ritual Magic Card. Monsters your opponent controls cannot activate their effects during the Battle Phase. If this card is destroyed by battle or sent from the field to the GY by a card effect: You can target up to 2 Magic/Trap Cards on the field; destroy them.

 **Different Dimension Forestry** (Quick-Play Magic) - Target up to 3 of your banished "Forest" cards; return them to the GY.

 **Forestry Recovery Plans** (Magic Card) - Add 1 "Forest" Ritual Magic and 1 "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster from your GY to your hand.

 **Forest Revival of Restoration** (Ritual Magic Card) - This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster from your hand or GY. You must also shuffle monsters from your hand and/or GY whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon.

 **Power Magician  
** (LV: 3, Spellcaster, DARK, Tuner, ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000, PS: 2)  
 _Pendulum Effect:_ Once per turn, when you Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summon a monster: You can inflict 1000 damage to your opponent.  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower "Magician" monster face-up in your Extra Deck or GY; Special Summon it in Defense Position but it has its effects negated. If this card is used as Material for a Synchro, Fusion, Xyz Monster or used as a Tribute for a Ritual Monster: That monster gains 1000 ATK during each Battle Phase only.

 **Forest Barrier of Life** (Trap Card) - Target 1 "Forest Keeper" monster you control; Discard a card, and if you do, until the end of the next turn, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects also you take no damage from battles involving that monster.

 **Treasure Cards of Ceremonial Rites** (Magic Card) - When you control a Ritual Monster: Draw 2 cards.

 **Entermate Copy Chameleon  
** (LV: 5, Reptile, DARK, ATK: 1600, DEF: 2100)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If you control no monsters: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. You can target 1 monster on the field; increase or decrease its Level by 1. You can make this card's original name and type become 1 monster's original name and type on the field until the end of the turn. You can only use each effect of "Entermate Copy Chameleon" once per turn.

 **Magician's Ritual** (Ritual Magic Card) - This card can be used to Ritual Summon any "Magician" Ritual Monster from your hand, Deck, or GY. You must also Tribute monsters from your hand and/or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. If your opponent controls a Special Summoned monster: You can also send Pendulum Monsters from your Extra Deck to the GY. You can only activate one "Magician's Ritual" once per turn.

 **Cleric Magician  
** (LV: 7, Spellcaster, LIGHT, Ritual, ATK: 2600, DEF: 2600)  
 _Monster Effect:_ Unaffected by the effects of monsters that have an equal or lower Level/Rank than this card's Level. Magic and Trap Cards you control cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects. Once per turn, when this card destroys a monster by battle: You can target 1 Magic Card in your GY; add it to your hand.

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait! I was finishing my semester in college so hopefully I can get into a better groove these next few months.**

 **Now, we're getting more deep into how this story is going to go for now in terms of my own version. I will say that it will probably happen little by little until probably close to the end of the Maiami Championship arc. Maybe.**

 **Forest Keepers are mostly based on creatures (some are even magical) that live in a forest and the boss monsters are based on Middle-earth.**

 **By the way, to fully answer CarlosBlaster's question from earlier, as you can see, I'm not doing the memory wipe with Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto. I'm doing something a little bit different for them down the road.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Mysterious Ambition of Blood** \- As Yuya and the others discuss their options with meeting Yuto and Lucine, Kylian is approached by a mysterious man who makes a tempting offer to him. After being coerced into a duel, Kylian's pride refuses to back down; however...

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


	21. The Mysterious Ambition of Blood

**Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter. And thank you,** _ **Anime100**_ **, for reviewing the last chapter. No comments, sorry. :)**

 **With that said, let's get started.**

* * *

 **Chapter 21 - The Mysterious Ambition of Blood**

* * *

 **UNKNOWN LOCATION (A COUPLE HOURS LATER)**

Somewhere very far from Maiami City, two helicopters were flying over the clouds which obscured the view below. The clouds were also dark as it seems they were flying at a high altitude.

Inside one of them, the Duel Hunters were riding on the back of it as it was taking them somewhere. Kylian was leaning across the wall with his eyes closed and arms close, acting calmly through all of this, while the others were all sitting in the corner, looking anxious as they didn't know where they were being taken.

Kylian's men were talking amongst each other as they were waiting anxiously, "Man, it's kinda cramped in here!" "How long are we going to be in here?" "Where are they taking us anyway?"

Bryan stood up to look at Kylian, "Kylian, I demand to know what's happening."

Kylian opened his eyes toward Bryan, "Relax, Bryan. We'll find out soon."

Bryan huffed a little as he wasn't satisfied with the answer but will have to deal with it for now. Before he could say anything else, the helicopter tilted a little which caused him to trip and fall down on his knees as he yelled in response. He struggled to retain his balance as he grunted, "Ugh, I hate this!"

One of the others, Daiki, looked out the window and his eyes widened in shock, "What's going on out there, Kylian?"

Kylian narrowed his eyes before he turned to the window and saw what was outside. They were apparently flying over a foggy, mountainous region with little to no grass and heading straight for a cliff area. Kylian looked over this and wondered, "Where are we?"

After a few minutes, both helicopters have stopped and landed near the cliffside. The man Kylian recently met got out of his helicopter. The Duel Hunters then exited their helicopter and walked forward a few feet with some of them a little amazed by the scenery around them.

Kylian walked forward and looked at the man in front of him, "Hey, what's the big idea bringing us to a place like this?"

At a close up, Kylian can finally get a good look at the man in front of him. He was wearing brown shoes, a dark purple suit with white cuffs and a red tie. He appeared to be a young adult with brown eyes along with black hair that looked like it was cut professionally while also being spiky from the sides. The man smiled at Kylian, "My apologies, but I rather not have any interruptions. Besides, this is a nice scenery, isn't it?"

He gestured his hand toward Kylian, "Now then, regarding what I said earlier, I mean what I said. I will do whatever I can to help you get even stronger. Everything you need will be prepared for you." He lowered his eyes a little, "What do you think? It is certainly not a bad deal for you."

Kylian felt a little troubled by this as he narrowed his eyes and frowned, "...But there must be something in it for you." This deal felt suspicious and definitely too easy for him to consider. He doesn't even know who this guy is so he wonders what motive he would have for making him stronger.

The man smiled in response, "Of course. You'll be able to become stronger, Kylian. After that, you could do me a favor by dueling Yuya Sakaki."

Kylian was a little surprised by the answer before he narrowed his eyes in confusion, "Yuya?" He wondered why this man would be concerned with someone like Yuya.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

Rin sighed in happiness as she landed on top of Yuya's bed, "That was a good meal." Ruri and Yuzu were also in Yuya's room on one side with Yuya and Mikleo sitting in chairs on the other side. They had just finished eating dinner at Yuya's place with his mom's cooking and Rin was very happy with the meal.

Yuya chuckled from seeing Rin so happy, "Mom's cooking can do wonders." Ruri then sat down on the bed next to Rin while Yuzu sat in another chair nearby.

Yuzu looked around Yuya's room, "I wished we could have gotten Gongenzaka to come here." Earlier this morning, everyone agreed to meet each other tonight to discuss certain events again but Gongenzaka wasn't here this time.

Yuya replied as he held out his hand, "I've tried contacting him before but I've gotten no response." He called his friend a few times and he hasn't responded. He summarizes that Gongenzaka must be too busy training for the Maiami Championship to respond. He'll have to tell him about this later.

"I suppose we'll have to talk to him later." said Rin as she was thinking the same thing.

After a few seconds passed, Yuya looked at the girls in curiosity, "So, what happened this morning? You three were acting a little odd." He was referring to when they called him earlier as they looked troubled.

Ruri was frowning as she looked down at the ground, not saying anything. Rin looked a little skittish as she swung her legs back and forth. Yuzu frowned a little before she decided to speak, "Well, it's like this…" She started to tell Yuya and Mikleo what Ruri mentioned to both her and Rin last night, specifically about Sora. Yuzu also mentioned that it was all she mentioned last night regarding Sora so they don't know what that means either.

Yuya looked a little confused as he turned to Ruri, "Sora's involved with the reason you don't like Fusion Summoning, Ruri?" With what Yuzu told them, he wondered how Sora could be involved with something like that but then his thoughts, for some reason, turned to those dreams he's recently been having and couldn't help but wonder.

Mikleo closed his eyes and crossed his arms together as he had a thoughtful expression on his face, "Hmm…"

Everyone soon turned to Ruri in concern as she wasn't saying and was just staring at the floor in silence. Yuzu couldn't help but frown at the situation as it didn't look like Ruri was going to speak, trying to understand that she must have went through something intense. However, a part of her also feels like Ruri should trust them more and help her through whatever she's going through. Mikleo just stared in silence as he wanted to see what Ruri would do in this situation. Rin didn't know what to say and just stayed quiet for the time being.

Yuya had a sad frown on his face as he looked at Ruri, wondering if she really is ready to talk. After around half a minute, Yuya spoke, "Ruri, if you still feel like you're not ready…"

"No." Ruri interrupted Yuya while she still stared at the floor as she was thinking long and hard about this. She soon raised her head which showed a look of determination on her face, "I think...I'm ready to tell you all."

She has been thinking about this for awhile now since she last talked with Yuya and when she had that one duel with Sora. It occurred to her that maybe she didn't put her full trust in her friends and how they would handle this information which is why she wanted to handle it all by herself. She thought she could shoulder the burden while keeping her friends safe but it doesn't look like that's an option anymore especially with them meeting Yuto and Lucine. In the best case scenario, if she tells them, they might be more prepared for what's to come in the future.

Also, as much as she wanted to keep her friends safe, sooner or later they are going to find out about everything. She doesn't know if they will believe everything she's about to say but it is worth a try and at least she won't have to keep it bottled up any longer. Regardless, after hearing how much Yuzu, Yuya, Rin and the others all try to help her out, she feels so much gratitude that she decides to finally accept it. On a side note, she also helped Yuya out when he had that moment of clarity after dueling Mikleo so she figured she should do the same.

Ruri thought in nervousness, " _Well, here goes."_ She then stood up from the bed and walked over to the desk in the middle of the room, bringing everyone's attention to her.

As she turned to face everyone, she wasn't saying anything for awhile as she fidgeted her hands in nervousness. After a few seconds passed, she closed her eyes and bowed her head, "I'm sorry!" She looked at the ground in shame as she couldn't see her friend's expressions.

Everyone else was taken aback by this and wondered what Ruri would be sorry for. Ruri continued talking as she stared at the ground, "...I'm sorry that I lied to you all before about why I'm not fond of Fusion Summoning. I know that I worried you all by not saying anything. I am ashamed of myself." She felt like she needed to apologize for not saying anything to her friends.

Ruri didn't hear anything for awhile, which she slightly expected, before she felt a hand touching her shoulder. She raised her head to see Yuzu with a sad smile on her face, "You don't have to apologize, Ruri. I'm sure you had your reasons but what I don't understand is why though." Despite understanding that Ruri had her reasons, Yuzu wanted to know why Ruri went through all the trouble to lie them about her problems.

Ruri frowned at Yuzu before looking down at the ground in silence, not saying anything for a few more seconds. After that, she whispered very quietly, "...get hurt."

Rin was confused as she didn't hear correctly, "What?"

Ruri raised her head which showed a sad frown on her face and spoke loudly this time, "...It's because you all might get hurt once I tell you all this."

Mikleo narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "...And how exactly would we get hurt?" The others wondered the same thing as well as they waited for Ruri's response.

Ruri lowered her head a little, "Because...certain people might come after you and harm you all for learning this kind of information." She needed to be a little vague before she could fully explain this otherwise they might not understand how dire her situation is if they want to accept the potential consequences.

Yuya and the others were both surprised and confused by this statement. They all wondered what kind of situation Ruri was in that made her like this and what kind of people would actually do that. It sorta reminded them, especially Rin, of when Ruri told them about that boy who tried to kidnap her that also looked like Yuya. Rin wondered if it was something like that.

Mikleo looked a little more skeptical about this as he was more cautious than ever and he decided to fully pay attention to Ruri's statement. Yuya, Yuzu, and Rin turned to each other with uncertainty in their expressions, unsure what to make of all of this, before nodding in agreement after a few seconds of silence.

As Ruri raised her head to look at them, Yuzu had a stubborn expression on her face, "I'm not sure who exactly would come after us…"

Rin had the same determination in her expression as well as she finished, "...But you should know by now that we can handle it!"

Yuya gave off an honest smile as he raised a fist, "After all, if you trust us, we will help you no matter what it is." Mikleo smirked as well and just nodded in agreement.

Ruri felt her eyes water a little from the support she was receiving from her friends and resisted the urge to cry. She wiped her eyes a little before she smiled in gratitude, "Thank you."

After a minute of silence and gratitude, Ruri nervously fidgeting her fingers as she looked at the ground, "Alright, for this to fully make sense, I'll start at the beginning." She then looked at her friends with determination in her eyes, "I'll tell you...about Academia."

* * *

 **UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Back at the cliffside, Kylian looked at the man with curiosity, "Yuya Sakaki, you say? Why are you interested in him?"

The man looked back at him, "That is none of your concern. Let's just say that I've been intrigued by that boy for awhile now." Kylian narrowed his eyes in response as he purposely dodged the question.

The man gestured his hand toward Kylian, "However, if you choose to work for me, you may get the full story."

Kylian simply scoffed at the notion and huffed, "Get real. Why would I work for you? I don't even know who you are!"

The man, keeping a calm smile on his face, then suddenly lowered his head a little and placed a hand on his chest, "Ah, pardon me. I forgot to introduce myself." He opened his eyes at Kylian, "My name is Albel. I'm merely someone who dabbles in dueling training and simulation training."

Kylian was confused by that statement, "Simulation training?" He wondered what that has to do with training to be a better duelist.

Albel gestured his right hand out in a manner of a handshake, "Just think of it as an alternative to better yourself while also experiencing real pain and sweat in a comfortable environment. So, what do you say?"

Kylian huffed a little, "You know how that sounds?" He had a look of defiance on his face as he said that.

Albel looked a little confused, "How?" He took his hand back as he looked at Kylian curiously.

"Sounds like you have been wasting my time. We're out of here." said Kylian as he then turned around and began walking away with his men slowly following behind him as they chatter amongst themselves in agreement.

However, as he watched Kylian walk away, Albel still had a calm smile on his face, "Oh? I wasn't expecting this from someone like you. For someone who always faces challenges head-on, it seems losing to Yuya Sakaki made you soft and scared. So, go ahead and run off empty handed like you did last time." His grin turned into a sneer as he said that last sentence.

Kylian stopped when he heard what Albel said and had a look of irritation on his face as he turned back around to face him, "What did you say?! How dare you?! I never run from a fight!" He held up a fist in determination, "And I will defeat Yuya the next time I see him!"

Albel cocked his head in amusement, "Really? Is that so?"

"This fight is between me and Yuya. I'm not going to lend my abilities to someone like you! And besides I don't need any help getting stronger, I can do that all on my own." Kylian reaffirmed how he feels about this shady deal especially since he wants to get revenge on Yuya his own way.

Albel simply smirked from hearing that statement, "And how did that work out for you? I'm giving you a great offer here and all I'm saying is that I can make you an even better winner. Even someone as narrow-minded as you can figure that out." His smirk grew even bigger as he said this, "Or are you still hung up about being a failure?"

Most of the Duel Hunters were both confused and angry by what Albel just said. Even though they didn't know exactly what he was talking about, they knew he insulted their leader as well. Bryan looked very angry from hearing that comment and it seemed he wasn't the only one.

Kylian's eyes widened in surprise before he growled in anger from hearing that. While he wondered why Albel said that, it didn't matter as he was even more angry than before. He glared at Albel, "What was that?! How dare you talk to me about being a failure?!"

Albel nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders before he held out his left hand, "Oh, don't take it too personally. I think you have great potential but I only spoke the truth. What with you leaving LDS in a shameful manner as well as losing to Yuya Sakaki, it is no wonder you are a failure. If you simply follow my instructions, you can easily live up to and even surpass that boy."

Kylian gritted his teeth in anger, "Who do you think you are?! I don't take orders from anybody!" To him, it didn't matter who exactly this guy is. He insulted his pride and he cannot let that slide. One way or another, he's going to pay.

"Whether you like it or not, it is what you need. After all, if one is to become better, then they should learn from the best in order to survive in this world." replied Albel as he smiled.

Kylian narrowed his eyes at him, "...You must think you're a really good duelist if you're talking to me like that." With all of this talk of improving him, he wondered if this guy was all talk or if he can actually back it up.

Albel replied, "As a matter of fact, I do."

"Prove it then." Kylian brought out his deck, "Duel me if you want to prove you're not just all talk." After being insulted, he wants to lash back at this guy and what better to do it than by dueling him.

Albel couldn't help but scoff a little as he smirked, "Hah. I thought it might come to this. However, if you lose, in return I expect you to…"

Kylian interrupted him, "Yeah, yeah. If you beat me, then I'll listen to whatever you are talking about." He figured that would be the condition and he doesn't have a problem with it cause he'll prove to this guy how strong he is.

Albel's grin, for some reason, grew even bigger, "Please don't forget those words." He then reached the inside of his suit in order to grab something.

The Duel Hunters stepped and cheered with confident smirks on their faces, "Go get him, Kylian!" "Teach this man some respect!" Bryan raised a fist as he glared at Albel, "You'll regret mocking our leader!"

Albel paid no mind to Kylian's men as, from the inside of his suit, he pulled out what looked like a duel disk that was designed as a purple shield-like body with red trimming around the edges and the middle. He then activated his duel disk which created a red energy blade in the shape of a sword.

Kylian raised an eyebrow in confusion, " _What is that duel disk?"_ He had never seen a design like that and wondered where it came from. He then decided it didn't matter since it wasn't important for the duel itself.

Kylian activated his duel disk as he glared at Albel, who just smirked right back at him. Both were soon ready as they got into stance and shouted.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **KYLIAN LP: 4000  
** **ALBEL LP: 4000**

Kylian placed his fingers on his deck, "The first move is mine, I draw!" He drew his card before he took out a different one, "First, I activate the Ritual Magic: Ceremony of the Forest! I tribute the Level 5 Warrior Bear in my hand in order to Ritual Summon!" A fissure erupted in the ground as a silhouette of a large brown bear wearing rock armor and a tribal outfit appeared on the field temporarily before it vanished. A pillar of light erupted from a hole in the fissure.

"Great hunter ox of the forest, bear witness to your new form as you protect this sacred land! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 4! Forest Keeper - Stone Hunter Kine (ATK: 2100, **DEF: 2400** , LV: 4)!" Appearing from the pillar of light, Kylian summoned a large white ox that had a back made out of stone, golden horns on its head, a scar over its left eye, and having green shrubbery over its feet.

Kyilan then held out his hand, "Warrior Bear's effect activates! Since this card was sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can add a Beast-type or Winged Beast-type "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Kelvar Wolf to my hand." He showed Kelvar that he took from his deck before adding it to his hand.

"I set a card and end my turn." Kylian placed a face-down next to him as he ended his turn.

Albel had his hand under his chin in a condescending manner, "Not a bad start for a defense. But like any great walls of defense, there are always holes and cracks exposing them and yours are already obvious."

"Enough with the monologue, just start your turn already." retorted Kylian as he looked irritated by what Albel said.

Albel shrugged his shoulders and gave a smile that looked rather cold, "If you insist. My turn, draw!" He drew his card before taking out another and placing it in his duel disk, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Vampire's Castle!" Dark clouds appeared in the sky as a giant, dark medieval castle appeared behind Albel. Bats flew out of the place from the window openings.

"Then, I activate the Magic Card: Vampire Vision! I send a "Vampire" monster from my hand or Deck to the Graveyard and then I get to add a "Vampire" Magic or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand." Albel took a monster from his deck and sent it to the Graveyard before adding another card to his hand.

He then showed the card he just added, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Vampire's Domain!"

"I Normal Summon Vampire Goblin ( **ATK: 1600** , DEF: 1300, LV: 4)!" Albel summoned a dark green-skinned goblin that was wearing a dark robe and had vampire teeth.

Albel held out his hand, "I activate Vampire Goblin's monster effect! When this card is successfully summoned, I can pay 500 LP in order to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Vampire" from my hand or GY."

 **ALBEL LP: 4000** → **3500**

"I resurrect Vampire Retainer ( **ATK: 1200** , DEF: 0, LV: 2) from my Graveyard!" A white wolf that had half of its body covered in shadows appeared next to Goblin. Its right eye was glowing red as well.

Albel gestured toward his deck, "When Retainer is Special Summoned, I can pay 500 LP in order to add a "Vampire" Magic or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand." A red aura formed around Albel temporarily as he added a card to his hand.

 **ALBEL LP: 3500** → **3000**

After placing the card in his hand, Albel pointed at one of his cards, "I activate the effect of Vampire's Domain! By paying 500 LP, I can Normal Summon another "Vampire" monster this turn."

 **ALBEL LP: 3000** → **2500**

Albel showed another monster in his hand, "I release Retainer in order to Tribute Summon Vampire Red Baron ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1000, LV: 6)!" Retainer vanished from the field in exchange for a blue-armored chevalier that rode a black horse with blue armor and a red mane while also carrying a spear in its right hand.

Kylian had a smirk on his face, "Huh. You sure are taking risks by decreasing your life. Still, if that's all your deck can do, then you are seriously underestimating me." Although, on the inside, he was curious and confused as to why this man would be taking so many risks just to activate effects.

Albel stared at him for a second before he had a cold smile on his face, "Quite the contrary. It is just how I do things. I take risks in order to gain advantage. And with those risks…" He then held out his hand, "I intend to pay back fully! I activate Vampire Red Baron's effect!" The horse that the chevalier was riding galloped as it prepared something.

"Once per turn, I can pay 1000 LP in order to target one of my opponent's monsters and one other "Vampire" monster I control. Control of those cards are now switched." As Albel smiled, Red Baron shot a red stream of energy from his spear as it hit both Goblin and Kine, connecting both monsters on either side of the field.

 **ALBEL LP: 2500** → **1500**

Kylian's widened in shock as he heard that effect, "What?"

"Since Hunter Kine is the only monster on your field, I think I'll switch control of it with my Vampire Goblin!" replied Albel as he snapped his fingers, making both monsters vanish before reappearing on the opposite side of each other's field.

The Duel Hunters were surprised by they saw, "No way!" Some of them then looked worried, "Kylian!" They couldn't believe this man had stolen Kylian's monster so easily.

Albel then looked down at his duel disk while holding his chin with his right hand, "Now, let's see...why this monster has some interesting effects. How about I put it to good use?" He held out his hand, "And I think I'll start by switching Hunter Kine into Attack Position!" Kine's eyes glowed red as it got into a fighting stance.

 **Forest Keeper - Stone Hunter Kine** ( **DEF: 2400** → **ATK: 2100** )

Albel pointed at Kylian, "Now, Hunter Kine attack Vampire Goblin!" Hunter Kine let out an angry bellow before it charged straight forward and pierced Goblin with its horns, destroying it. Kylian gritted his teeth as he couldn't activate his face-down, _Revenge of the Forest_ , since it only works when his "Forest Keeper" is destroyed by battle.

 **KYLIAN LP: 4000** → **3500**

Albel had his arm raised above his duel disk, "With your field wide open, Vampire Red Baron attacks you directly!" Baron galloped his horse and charged straight forward, slashing Kylian with his spear and making him wince from the damage.

 **KYLIAN LP: 3500** → **1100**

Bryan looked concerned for his leader, "Hang in there, Kylian!"

Kylian grunted a little as he stepped back a bit from the attack. Albel smiled as he placed a hand on his chest, "And now, the effect of Vampire's Domain activates. I regain LP equal to the amount of damage I've dealt to my opponent with a "Vampire" monster I control." Albel's card glowed which also made him glow as well as he healed.

 **ALBEL LP: 1500** → **3900**

Albel looked at Kylian with a smirk on his face, "Now, what will you do?" Kylian gritted his teeth in irritation as he saw that he regained life. This is going to be a little harder than he anticipated.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

Rin was a little confused, "Academia?" She has never heard that name before and wondered what it is. Yuya and Yuzu were thinking the same thing as they looked as confused as her but Mikleo, for some reason, just raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Ruri nodded her head, "That's right." She then reached into her pocket and pulled out her deck, "As you already know, I come from a place called Heartland. A very beautiful and peaceful city." Ruri turned her head toward Mikleo hesitantly, "And...can I assume that you already tried to find it?"

Mikleo crossed his arms as he looked a little stern, "Yeah. I tried to but I couldn't find any city called Heartland anywhere." Sometime after the incident with LDS, Mikleo decided to investigate where Ruri's homeland could be through the internet. However, for some reason and to his confusion, he couldn't find anything about a city called Heartland which he found really suspicious. He wanted to ask Ruri before but decided to leave it be as he saw she was working through her own problems. Now, he's hoping she'll finally answer that question.

Ruri suddenly lowered her eyes as she looked at the ground, "Yeah, that's what I thought would happen." She raised her head as she frowned, "Well, it is no surprise you can't find it. It is...not anywhere in this world." She hesitated a little before she then spoke out that last part.

Yuya narrowed his eyes in confusion, "What do you mean?" He didn't know what that meant. He thought either she's paraphrasing or she's actually serious.

Ruri fidgeted her hands in nervousness, "Well, I would say it would be more accurate to say that I'm from a different... _dimension_." She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck as she said that last word, wondering what the response will be.

Yuzu's eyes widened in surprise, "Wait, what?" She was confused by this statement as were Yuya and Rin as they didn't know what to think. Mikleo just sat in his chair with his eyes narrowed as he pondered this as well.

Ruri looked down at the ground as she half expected that kind of response. She then waited for them to process that.

After a minute of silence, Rin was still confused as she narrowed her eyes, "...Are you serious? A different dimension?"

Ruri turned to Rin with a serious expression on her face, "...Yes, I am."

Rin frowned at Ruri as she retorted, "But...that can't be possible." She said that with a stubborn expression on her face as she can't believe something as unrealistic as that. In all of her experiences, she has seen some strange stuff these past couple of weeks, including her bracelet teleporting her, that she has come to accept but this whole "dimension" thing is the one she has to question the most.

Ruri, feeling a little determined, lowered her eyes at Rin in resolve, "It is the truth. And you should know it as well." As the others wondered what that meant, Ruri pointed at Rin, "I'm not the only one. You're from a different dimension as well, Rin."

Rin's eyes widened in shock from hearing that, "What?" Yuya and Yuzu were surprised as well as they didn't know what to say.

Before Rin could say anything, Ruri continued, "Remembered when our bracelets teleported us to this city? You told us much about where you lived. Haven't you felt like you ended up in a different world than the one you were familiar with?" She had to ask these things in order for Rin to fully understand that her situation is actually a lot similar to hers.

Rin was about to retort but she then stopped herself as she soon began to ponder what Ruri was saying. It is true that she had felt like this city wasn't a part of where she came from and, from how she watched people react in this city, she found that they acted a lot differently than she was used to as there was no "class" system. Not only that, she remembered what Yugo said to her before when he disappeared that one time and now she's starting to wonder.

As Rin looked a little troubled as she was doubting herself, Yuzu looked a little sceptical, "Couldn't it be just like a different country from overseas?"

"About that…" Everyone turned to Mikleo who had his arms crossed together before he gestured toward his computer, "Remember when I mentioned I couldn't find anything about Heartland City? Well, I tried the same thing with Rin's home, but I also couldn't any mention about New Domino City."

"Also…" He turned his head toward Rin as he continued, "Rin, you said something interesting to me about your duel runner before. You told me that you participate in these Turbo Duels by using these duel runners, right?"

While still a little troubled, Rin slowly nodded her head, "Yeah…?" She wondered where Mikleo was going with this.

Yuya looked up a little as he had a thoughtful expression on his face, "Oh, yeah. I do remember you telling me, Yuzu, and Ruri about these Turbo Duels." He remembered that Rin once told them about, where she comes from, how people participate in something called Turbo Duels by riding on these Duel Runners. He smiled a little as he was reminded of that, "Honestly, I'm still a little intrigued by those kinds of duels." When he heard about that kind of duel, he was honestly interested and wants to try it out in the future. However, to his disappointment, he doesn't have a runner for them.

"Well, that's not going to happen anytime soon." Yuya, to his confusion, raised his toward Mikleo who continued, "Because here's the other odd thing about it, I also researched Turbo Duels or anything to do with motorcycles being used in dueling and I've found no trace of information about them." Mikleo frowned a little as he turned to Ruri and Rin, "...It is almost as though they don't exist here."

Rin's eyes widened in confusion, "What?" Ruri lowered her eyes and frowned a little as she knew the reason behind that. The reason they don't exist is probably because they are from the Synchro Dimension, not the Standard Dimension, so it makes sense that nobody has heard of them here.

As Yuzu seemed to ponder this as she was confused as well, Yuya looked at his brother in curiosity, "Mikleo, do you really think it is possible for different worlds to exist?" While he didn't know what to think about what Ruri said at the moment, from hearing his brother's statements, he's wondering if Mikleo actually believes it to be true.

Mikleo closed his eyes in a calm manner, "Well, I wouldn't go that far…" He then opened them and turned toward the window to view the outside, "But, with everything that's happened to us so far, it wouldn't surprise me." He turned back to Yuya, "Also, this would explain some stuff I've been having trouble investigating these past couple weeks." While there being different dimensions is a bit out there, he will admit that, if he considered it true, it would all connect together in a way that would make better sense.

Yuya lowered his eyes to the ground as he started to ponder this information as well. If it was true, it would make a little more sense as to why Ruri was hesitant on speaking about this. He also remembers that when he first met Ruri and Rin, especially with them teleporting, for a while, it seemed like they did act like they were out of place and didn't know what to do in Maiami City as it seemed unfamiliar to them. At first, he brushed it off thinking it might just because they were from somewhere offseas and weren't used to a place like this, he then started to question if there was more to it than ever.

While he was still pondering, Yuya turned to Ruri who had a look of understanding on her face, "Ruri, if it is true, what dimension are you from?"

Ruri looked down at the ground, "I'm not surprised by that reaction. It is understandable. I was shocked and confused as well when I found out." She then narrowed her eyes as she looked at everyone else seriously, "...I'm from the Xyz Dimension."

Everyone else perked up in curiosity as Yuzu said, "Xyz Dimension…" And then, Ruri looked at Rin, "And Rin, I believe you are from the Synchro Dimension."

Yuya pondered a bit, "Xyz and Synchro Dimension…?" That is apparently what they are called and there is definitely more than one dimension.

Ruri closed her eyes, "The world can be vastly different than what we perceive them to be. But, from where I'm from, every duelist in the world can Xyz Summon."

Ruri turned her head toward Rin, "Rin, you've told us before that Synchro Summoning is very common in New Domino City. Your situation of how you got here is very similar to mine so that's why I believe you're from the Synchro Dimension." Ruri reminded everyone about how they both teleported thanks to their bracelets and ended up in a new world. Rin was silent as she continued to ponder about it some more.

Mikleo then spoke up which made everyone else turned to him, "I think we should hear the full story before reaching any conclusions." There are still some unanswered questions and he feels like that questioning every detail would drag this out further than it needs to. Nobody else said anything but silently agreed as they were slowly starting to warm up on the details with many things connecting and making a little more sense.

Yuzu frowned a little as she turned back to Ruri, "So, there are dimensions that made up of different summoning methods?" When Ruri said there's an Xyz and Synchro Dimension, it got her thinking about the other summoning methods being dimensions as well.

Ruri nodded her head, "Yes, that's right. Although, I don't know why that is exactly."

Yuzu looked at the ground, "So, there is a Fusion and Ritual Dimension…"

Ruri, unconsciously, clenched her hand as she heard what Yuzu said, "Well...there is a Fusion Dimension but I haven't heard about a Ritual Dimension so I don't think it exists." She had only heard about the four dimensions and there was no information relayed that there is a Ritual Dimension though she doesn't know why exactly. Yuzu was a little confused by that statement but decided to leave it be for now.

Yuya looked at Ruri curiously, "Then, what is our dimension called?"

"...Standard. That's what the people of Academia call it. The foundation of all that exists, the center world." said Ruri with a serious expression on her face.

Yuya looked on in wonder, "Standard…" That was apparently what their world was called. Although, he wondered why it would be different from the other dimensions.

However, Yuzu noticed something as she frowned, "You keep saying something called _Academia_? What is Academia?" It has been bothering her for a while now and she would like to know as much as the others.

Ruri lowered her head as she frowned, "Academia...is from the Fusion Dimension." She started getting really depressed as she went deeper into the story, "And...everything changed because of them."

Yuzu was starting to get confused and worried for Ruri's behavior, "What do you mean?"

Ruri raised her head to look at everyone as her eyes started to tremble in sadness, "Everything changed...when they attacked my home."

* * *

 **UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Back to the duel between Kylian and Albel, Albel had two monsters on his field, along with one of them being Kylian's own monster and two face-up continuous magics, while Kylian only had one set card on the field.

Kylian was glaring at Albel who had a confident smile on his face. The Duel Hunters looked worried and concerned for their leader.

Albel glanced down at his duel disk, "I activate Hunter Kine's effect. After the Battle Phase, when this card attacks, I can switch it into Defense Position." Hunter Kine sat down in a defensive stance.

 **Forest Keeper - Stone Hunter Kine** ( **ATK: 2100** → **DEF: 2400** )

Albel placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." He then held out his hand, "At this moment, the effect of Vampire's Castle activates. During the End Phase, I gain 1000 LP for every "Vampire" monster on my field." Red Baron is the only "Vampire" on his field as it glowed red, making Albel feel more relaxed as he glowed red as well.

 **ALBEL LP: 3900** → **4900**

Albel smiled as he had his hand holding his chin, "Now then, I hope you don't disappoint me."

Kylian growled in response, "Can it! I don't need your approval." The Duel Hunters cheered as they rallied up behind their leader.

Kylian placed his fingers on his deck, "It's my turn, draw!" He looked at his current hand while deciding his options before looking up at Albel. He saw that Albel still had a calm and eerie smile on his face.

Kylian narrowed his eyes before he picked up a card from his hand, "I activate the Magic Card: Preparation of Rites! With this card, I can add 1 Level 7 or lower Ritual Monster from my Deck and 1 Ritual Magic from the GY to my hand!"

"That would be a nice move but, unfortnately, that won't happen!" said Albel as he smirked before he pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate my Counter Trap: Vampire Domination! When my opponent activates a Magic, Trap, or Monster Effect while I control a "Vampire", the activation is negated and destroyed!" Kylian's magic card discharged some electricity before it was negated and destroyed.

Kylian gritted his teeth in irritation before he showed another card in his hand, "Fine. I'll just use my backup plan. I activate the Magic Card: Lightning Vortex!" He showed Kelvar in his hand, "By discarding a card from my hand, all face-up monsters my opponent controls are destroyed!" He sent Kelvar to the Graveyard before lightning rained down on all of Albel's monsters and destroying them.

"Now, Kelvar's effect activates! When he is sent from my hand to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can Special Summon a different "Forest Keeper" monster from my Graveyard. Revive, Stone Hunter Kine ( **ATK: 2100** )!" Rocks flew out of the ground and then Hunter Kine arised back from the fissure.

Kylian smirked as he held up the last card he had, "Then, I activate the Magic Card: Life-Shaving Treasure Cards! With this, I draw until I have at least five cards in my hand but I must send my entire hand to the Graveyard during the 5th Standby Phase after activating this card." He then drew until he had 5 cards in his hand.

Albel had his arms crossed together as he looked amused, "My, my. You certainly recovered quickly but that's to be expected from someone like you."

Kylian grunted in annoyance before he threw out his arm in defiance, "Be quiet! Like you know a damn thing about me!" He then placed a card in his duel disk, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Sacred Forest of Protection!" A face-up magic appeared on the field which made Hunter Kine glowed green temporarily.

Kylian pointed at Albel, "Hunter Kine, attack Albel directly!" Kine let out a bellow before charging straight toward and rammed into Albel who winced a little from the attack.

 **ALBEL LP: 4900** → **2800**

The Duel Hunters started to get pumped up again, "Alright, Kylian's coming back!" Bryan raised a fist in excitement, "That's right, Kylian! Push him back even farther!"

Kylian let out a small smile from hearing that before he held out his hand, "I activate Hunter Kine's effect! This card switches to Defense Position after the Battle Phase!"

 **Forest Keeper - Stone Hunter Kine** ( **ATK: 2100** → **DEF: 2400** )

"I end my turn." Albel had a hand to his chin in amusement, "Well, even though you're a failure like your father was, at least you're putting up a decent fight. It is no wonder that you are the son of a former pro."

Kylian heard what he said and started to get angry, "...Say what?" Regardless of questioning how he knew something like that, it sounded like Albel is trying to insult his way of dueling which is really making him angry.

"But, enough about that for now, I believe it is my turn." Albel smiled as he drew his card, "I draw!" He added the card he drew before he took out another, "I activate the Magic Card: Vampire Cards of Blood. Since I have 3 or more "Vampires" in my Graveyard, I can draw two cards by paying 1000 LP." As he drew two cards, a red aura surrounded Albel temporarily.

 **ALBEL LP: 2800** → **1800**

Albel then showed a monster in his hand, "And now, by sending a "Vampire" card from my hand or field to the Graveyard…" He sent Vampire Sorcerer to the Graveyard as he held out his hand, "I can Special Summon Vampire Retainer ( **ATK: 1200** ) back from the Graveyard!" Retainer then returned in front of Albel.

"Vampire Retainer's effect activates! When this card is Special Summoned, I can pay 500 LP to add a "Vampire" Magic or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand." Albel then added a trap to his hand.

 **ALBEL LP: 1800** → **1300**

"And then, I release Retainer in order to Tribute Summon Shadow Vampire ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 0, LV: 5)!" Retainer vanished from the field and then a dark, shadowy vampire in gray stone armor appeared on the field with white hair and it glowing red both all over its body and over its eyes. It also wielded a spiky sword in its right hand.

Albel held out his hand toward his monster, "I activate Shadow Vampire's monster effect! When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a DARK "Vampire" monster from my hand or Deck other than this monster." He then took out a monster from his Deck, "So, with this effect, I summon Vampire Knight ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 2000, LV: 6)!" A portal of darkness opened up and a black knight with bat-like wings on its back appeared on the field. It wielded a spear and shield in its hands. From the little opening of the helmet, glowing red eyes can be seen inside as well as blood dripping out the opening.

"Unfortnately, due to Shadow Vampire's effect, Vampire Knight is the only monster I can attack with this turn." However, Albel smirked as he pointed at Kylian, "But that doesn't concern me right now. Battle! Vampire Knight attacks Hunter Kine!" Vampire Knight flexed its wings and flew straight toward Hunter Kine.

"With Vampire Knight on my field, whenever my "Vampire" monsters attack a monster in Defense Position, they can inflict piercing damage." Vampire Knight thrust its spear and pierced through Hunter Kine, destroying it which made Kylian grunt a little from the damage.

 **KYLIAN LP: 1100** → **900**

"Once again, the effect of Vampire's Domain activates. I regain LP equal to the amount I inflicted to you."

 **ALBEL LP: 1300** → **1500**

Kylian narrowed his eyes in frustration before he pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Revenge of the Forest! When my "Forest Keeper" monster is destroyed by battle, it destroys the monster that battled it and I can summon back my monster that was destroyed!"

Albel simply smiled at Kylian, "I'm afraid that won't be possible." Kylian looked confused, "And why is that?" Albel gestured his hand toward the castle behind him, "It is the other effect of Vampire's Castle. During the turn a "Vampire" was Normal or Special Summoned, they cannot be targeted or destroyed by my opponent's card effects." Kylian's eyes widened in shock as Albel continued, "Which means that since Vampire Knight was summoned this turn, it can't be destroyed by card effects for the rest of the turn including by your Revenge of the Forest!" Albel pointed at Kylian's card, "And since Vampire Knight can't be destroyed, the effect of your Trap Card is negated." Kylian grunted in annoyance as his trap disappeared.

Albel kept a calm smile on his face as he held out his hand, "Since it is the end of the Battle Phase, Vampire Knight's effect activates! When it destroys a monster by battle, I can Special Summon to my side of the field from either player's Graveyards! Revive to my side, Hunter Kine ( **DEF: 2400** )!" A hole opened up from the ground and Hunter Kine appeared next to Albel with glowing red eyes.

The Duel Hunter looked angry as they called out, "Ah, come on!" "He took Kylian's monster again!"

"Finally, I set a card and end my turn." A face-down appeared in front of Albel. At this moment, the effect of Vampire's Castle activates again, letting Albel recover life equal to the amount of "Vampires" he has.

 **ALBEL LP: 1500** → **3500**

Kylian clicked his tongue as he started to rethink his strategy, " _His Vampires keep relying on sacrificing life in order to keep using their effects…"_ If he wanted to win this, he needs to figure out a way to stop Albel from regaining life each turn. Luckily, he does have something up in mind.

Kylian looked down at his deck, " _Whatever. I'm not backing down no matter what. This guy is going to learn what happens when he messes with me."_

"My turn, I draw!" Kylian drew his card before taking out another one, "I activate the Magic Card: Forestry Recovery Plans! I add both a "Forest" Ritual Magic and a "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster from my Graveyard to my hand!" With the effect of his card, Kylian added both Kelvar and Ceremony back to his hand.

"I activate the Ritual Magic: Ceremony of the Forest! With this card, I can Ritual Summon a "Forest Keeper" from my hand." Kylian showed two monsters in his hand, "I tribute Force Fairy and Chaser Ocelot in my hand!" Two monsters appeared on the field: a green-haired fairy wearing an autumn leaf dress and a hunter cap while the other was an orange ocelot wearing battle armor and a visor over its eyes. They both disappeared as an ancient altar appeared before a tornado formed around the area.

As the wind grew stronger, Kylian chanted, "Ancient beast that thrives in forests, guardian wolf of the magical creatures! Within the spirits of tribes, gather together for a rebirth! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 8! Forest Keeper - Kelvar Wolf ( **ATK: 2800** , DEF: 2300, LV: 8)!" As the tornado died down, Kelvar appeared and was ready to fight.

The Duel Hunters cheered in excitement as they see Kylian's ace monster appear. Albel stared at the monster for a few seconds before a sneer appeared on his face, "So, here it is, your ace monster. Frankly, it is a powerful beast but it won't be enough to defeat me if that's all you've got."

Kylian smirked as he held out a fist, "You sure seem confident. Then, allow me to pay you back for all of your insults!" He gestured toward his duel disk, "The effect of Forest Keeper - Force Fairy activates! When this monster is tributed or sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I regain 1000 LP. Also, Sacred Forest of Protection's effect activates which means I regain 500 LP!"

 **KYLIAN LP: 900** → **1900** → **2400**

Kylian then raised his hand up, "I activate the other effect of Force Fairy! By banishing this card from the Graveyard, I target a "Forest Keeper" on my field; it can attack all of my opponent's monsters once each this turn!" Force Fairy was banished as Kelvar glowed yellow for a moment before it howled fiercely.

He then pointed at Albel, "Now, I battle! Kelvar attacks all of your monsters! Force of the Earth!" Kelvar leaped into the air and then smashed his claw into the ground, creating a fissure that erupted rock pillars and pierced through all of Albel's monsters and destroyed them.

 **ALBEL LP: 3500** → **2700** → **2500**

"I set a card and end my turn." Kylian placed a card in his duel disk face-down.

Albel still looked a little amused as he smiled, "Very impressive, young man. With the amount of monsters you had and resources you used, you were able to turn the tables very quickly. You might just be smarter than I had thought."

Kylian had a confident smirk on his face, "It was your mistake for underestimating me. This is what happens when you try to mess with my pride."

As the Duel Hunters were cheering and yelling for their leader, Bryan was the only one who looked a little confused, " _Kylian definitely has the advantage but...why do I still feel uneasy?"_ He said that as he looked at Albel who was still smiling despite the disadvantage he is in.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE**

As the others were confused by what Ruri just said, Ruri continued while looking down at the ground, "Heartland was a peaceful city and everybody dueled there with smiles while having fun as well. But...one day, people from another dimension came to our world. They are part of a group called Academia. Out of nowhere, they attacked my home by using Duel Monsters to destroy everything around them." Ruri began telling more of the story of how invaders came to their world and used Fusion Monsters to destroy the whole city. They attacked without mercy as they continued their assault. And then, the biggest shock that came to her, was when she saw people turning into cards in front of her own eyes.

Yuya couldn't help but gasp in shock as he heard this story, " _T-That's…!"_ That sounded really identical to those dreams he had been having these past few weeks. He remembered the shock and pain he felt when he saw the misery of those people turning into cards.

Yuzu and Rin stared in shock as they didn't know what to say as they tried to process this. Mikleo narrowed his eyes as he heard it as well but didn't say anything.

Ruri sniffled a little as tears started to form in her eyes, "I'll...I'll never forget those giant monsters that destroyed my home... _Antique Gear_ …" The pain in her heart was growing as she was letting out these bottled emotions all at once. Ruri stuttered a bit before she finished, "One by one, I saw them turning one person after another into cards…!"

Yuzu looked at Ruri with a painful expression on her face, "Ruri…" She was doubting her story at first but seeing Ruri hold back her emotions is really starting to make her wonder.

Rin lowered her eyes as well as started to feel sad for Ruri before her eyes widened in realization. She remembered something that Yugo said to her with he returned, " _I don't know where I was but it was chaos! I saw people getting turned into actual cards and monsters actually being used to destroy buildings. It looked like a warzone. It...It was hard to watch. If I see those bastards again…!"_ She remembered that Yugo had some trouble saying that as it seemed like he couldn't believe it either before he was really angry. If what Ruri and Yugo said were true, that would mean...

Meanwhile, Yuya's eyes widened even more as he heard what Ruri said, " _Antique Gear…?!"_ That is the same name he heard that one duelist say during his dream. It couldn't be a coincidence since Ruri knew about it. But that would that...that scene was real and Ruri was living in that city.

"Ruri." With tears still forming in her eyes, Ruri raised her head toward Yuya in confusion with the others watching as well. Yuya looked conflicted before he said this, "Tell me...did these guys have uniforms on them? Like blue, red, and yellow? While carrying shield-like duel disks?"

Ruri's eyes widened in shock as those are the exact details that usual soldiers of Academia go by. She looked at Yuya in confusion with a frown on her face, "How...do you know that…?" She never said anything about this to Yuya until now and yet he's asking about them in specific detail.

Yuya looked at the ground in hesitation for a moment before he raised his head to look at everyone. He started to tell everyone about these strange dreams he'd been having these past couple of weeks that is almost exactly what Ruri had just said.

Yuzu looked on in both confusion and curiosity, "You saw these things...in your dreams?" With Yuya saying that he saw those exact events, that couldn't have been a coincidence.

"I...I think I might have heard something like that too." Everyone turned to Rin with a look of hesitation on her face as well. They were confused for a moment before Rin started to explain her side of the story where Yugo told her he had been to a place that sounded exactly like what Ruri described.

Yuzu honestly couldn't believe what she was hearing, "No way…" Since it sounded like Yuya and Rin had heard the same thing, she turned to Ruri in wonder. She then stopped for a moment as she looked into her eyes and saw something: pain. It was a look of guilt, sadness, and pain in her eyes as she looked at Yuzu, showing her the sincerity in her expression. From hearing all of this and seeing Ruri's sincerity, Yuzu believed her now.

"Huh...well, now it is starting to make more sense." Everyone turned to Mikleo who had his eyes closed along with a solemn expression on his face. He was silent for a moment before he opened his eyes, "This does coincide with what I found earlier."

As the girls didn't know what Mikleo was talking about, Yuya had a feeling as he watched his brother reached out to his duel disk and proceeded to type something onto it. After a few seconds, Mikleo stopped and turned it around to show them something, "When I was gathering data from LDS the other day, as I was decrypting it, this is one of the things I have stumbled upon." From the image shown on the duel disk, it showed several folders named _Standard_ , _Fusion_ , _Xyz_ , and _Synchro_. Mikleo pointed at the folders shown, "At first, I wasn't sure what exactly these represented. But hearing your story, Ruri, has made me wonder. Especially…" He tapped the icon containing _Fusion_ and then it showed several other files including two interesting images. They appeared to be images of cards except they showed actual people in them. They looked a little alarmed as they tried to shield themselves.

Yuya, Yuzu, and Rin moved closer so they could see the images. Rin frowned a little as she looked at them, "Are those...actual people?" If she saw this a few minutes ago, she probably would've thought they were fake. Now, hearing that story has made her troubled as she was seeing more evidence of this being true. Ruri looked horrified as she saw the cards on the screen. She knew what they were and couldn't believe it. Yuya looked down at the ground as he was still in shock, firmly believing the story as he saw those same kinds of cards in his dream.

While Yuzu frowned while looking at them, she noticed some names at the bottom of the cards. She decided to read them, "Tio and...Marco?" She thought the second name sounded familiar before, after a few seconds of thinking, her eyes widened in realization as she remembered Masumi mentioning someone named Marco. Masumi was apparently either searching for him or the culprit and didn't know where or how he disappeared.

She then remembered what Masumi said, " _Yeah. All of the victims are connected to LDS. But none of them can say what actually happened...because all of them have disappeared. They're all gone! Professor Marco and members of the LDS top team...They were all attacked and never seen again…"_ This Marco she's seeing on the screen right now might be the same one Masumi was worried about.

"...Why?" Yuzu, Rin, Ruri, and Mikleo turned to see Yuya looked down at the ground with a frown on his face and was clenching his fists in anger. Yuya raised his head toward Ruri, "If that's really what happened, then why?! Why would they do this?!" He raised his voice as his anger was rising up at this point, having witnessed their destruction and enjoyment of inflicting pain on others.

"Yuya…" Yuzu said that as she looked on in concern for Yuya.

As Yuya tried to calm down, he took a deep breath and then his expression softened a little as he looked at Ruri, "...Just what exactly is Academia?" He knows that they're from the Fusion Dimension but that's all, they know nothing else about them or their motives.

Ruri lowered her eyes as she clenched her fists, "Academia...is a training school for duel soldiers in the Fusion Dimension."

Yuya's widened in shock, "Dueling soldiers...?"

Ruri's frown grew even bigger as she turned her eyes to the side, "...They claim that they are doing this for the sake of uniting the dimensions as one."

Rin tilted her head in confusion, "Uniting them as one?" She didn't really see what the point of that would be and how exactly using violence would unite them.

Mikleo, who had his arms crossed and eyes closed, spoke up, "Is that why you were feeling uneasy whenever you were around Sora? Is it because he's a part of Academia?" As Ruri was surprised by that question, the others looked at her in confusion.

Mikleo knew something was up with Sora but he couldn't quite figure out what it was other than him being more than meets the eye. The first time he found him suspicious was when he purposely dodged the question of where he came from. Ever since then, he has been keeping a close eye on Sora for anything suspicious about him. There are two main things he caught Sora doing. The first thing would be him, for some odd reason, scowling whenever he sees Xyz Summoning but quickly hiding it right after. Another thing would be that whenever he sometimes catches Ruri and Sora together, he felt like there was this odd tension between them, as it seemed like they acted awkward around each other, and he didn't exactly know why. With everything that has been said including Yuya's description of the uniforms, Sora would fit the description of Academia.

While she was surprised by Mikleo's intuition, Ruri frowned as she lowered her head a little, "...Yeah. Sora is an agent from Academia." She might as well tell the truth about Sora though she doesn't know how they'll respond.

Yuya was surprised by what he heard. True, he had questioned if Sora was connected to the soldiers he saw in his dream, but he honestly didn't want it to be true. He hasn't really seen Sora like that but he will admit that he sometimes saw Sora acting oddly and just brushed it off. Despite that, he considers Sora his friend so he didn't know what to think right now. Yuzu and Rin looked confused and conflicted as well by this as they didn't know what to say either.

However, before Yuya could say something, a sniffle was heard which made everyone turn to where it was coming from. Ruri's eyes were watering as she was hugging her knees together. She frowned in sadness as she looked at the ground, "I...I'm sorry!" The others were surprised and confused by this and then, before they could ask, Ruri continued, "I'm sorry that I lied to you all about this whole thing. But...at first, I wasn't sure if you would believe me and then I just wanted to keep you all safe." The others looked concerned as tears started to flow from Ruri's eyes but then she talked again, "You're all really good people. You're my friends and I didn't want to put you in danger by telling you all this. You guys don't deserve to get dragged into our problems…!" Ruri then lowered her head into her knees as she started crying even more.

At first they were confused, but after contemplating what Ruri said, they all soon understood. If Ruri were to say anything, they could potentially get dragged into this battle that her home is in just by knowing this information. Because Ruri cared so much about them, she didn't want to worry them and cause them any trouble. They also understood why Ruri isn't fond of Fusion Summoning, because of the destruction that method has caused nothing but pain and suffering to her home. From understanding all of this, Yuya, Yuzu and Rin frowned, while Mikleo kept a straight face, as they looked very sad from seeing Ruri cry from all of her bottled up emotions.

For a moment, all that can be heard in the room was sobbing from Ruri. After around half a minute passed, to Ruri's surprise, she stopped crying as she felt someone hugging her. She raised her head and saw that Yuzu was hugging as her head was buried into her shoulder.

Yuzu didn't say anything for a moment before she raised her head to look at Ruri with tears forming in her eyes as well, "I'm the one who should be sorry, Ruri. I had no idea you were suffering this much..." Yuzu didn't say anything else as she leaned her head back into Ruri's shoulder. She finally understood why Lucine was saying that it couldn't be good to hear for her or her friends.

More tears were tears were coming out of Ruri's eyes before she felt other people hugging her. Yuya was comforting her from the left with an understanding smile on his face while, on the right, Rin had tears in her eyes as well as she comforted Ruri as well. Mikleo let out a small smile as he saw the support Ruri was getting from them.

For a moment, Ruri's sobs were the only thing that can be heard in the room again as she let out her sadness. Soon after, she smiled sweetly, " _...Thank you, everyone."_ She soon stopped crying as she accepted the warm gestures of her friends.

* * *

 **UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Back at the mountain terrain, strong winds were forming around the area as Kelvar had finished attacking.

However, as Kylian still had a smirk on his face, he heard chuckling coming Albel who still looked amused. Kylian narrowed his eyes, "What's so funny?"

Albel smirked as well, "Oh, I'm just amused by your arrogance. Frankly, I do have a right to underestimate you given the amount of power you have shown thus far." His eyes widened in intensity, "And it is just not good enough, young man!"

Kylian clicked his tongue in annoyance as he retorted, "Give me a break! You're the one who's at a disadvantage!"

Albel smiled in a calm manner, "Really? We'll just see about that." He placed his fingers on his deck, "It's my turn, draw!"

"I activate the Magic Card: Pot of Greed which it so kindly lets me to draw two cards!" Albel drew two cards from his deck because of his magic card.

Albel pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Vampire Shift! With this card, since I have no cards in my Field Zone, I can take one Vampire Empire from my Deck and activate it!" Albel took a card from his deck and placed it on his duel disk. Soon after, a dark town formed around the area with fog around it. There was a hill behind these buildings which had a giant castle with a blood red moon hovering over it.

"And then, I can Special Summon a DARK "Vampire" from my Graveyard in Defense Position. I revive Vampire Red Baron ( **DEF: 1000** )!" A portal opened up and Red Baron appeared back on the field.

Kylian narrowed his eyes at Albel's monster, " _Sacred Forest does protect Kelvar from being targeted but just in case…"_ He's not taking any chances with the risk of his ace being stolen. He then held out his hand, "I activate Kelvar Wolf's monster effect! Your monster that was Special Summoned has its effects negated and its ATK and DEF are cut in half! Wolf Guardian's Gale!" Kelvar howled really loudly which formed a tornado that drained away Baron's strength.

 **Vampire Red Baron** (ATK: 2400→1200, **DEF: 1000** → **500** )

Albel looked amused as he looked at Kylian, "Its effect is impressive, I'll give you that. But it is useless if I'm not intending on keeping that monster." He then picked up a card from his hand, "I release Red Baron in order to Tribute Summon Curse of Vampire ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 800, LV: 6)!" Red Baron disappeared from the field in exchange for another monster. It was a light purple, undead vampire with red eyes and spiked-up blue hair. It was also wearing dark purple shoulder armor, a blue suit, and a black cape.

Albel then showed another card, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Undead Struggle! I target a Zombie-type monster on the field and it gains or loses 1000 ATK until the end of the turn." A red aura surrounded Curse of Vampire for a moment.

 **Curse of Vampire** ( **ATK: 2000** → **3000** )

"Now, I battle. Curse of Vampire attacks Kelvar Wolf!" Curse of Vampire spread his wings and flew towards Kelvar, who crouched as he was ready to strike back.

Kylian narrowed his eyes before he held out his hand, "I activate the Trap Card: Forest Blockade! I send a "Forest Keeper" monster from my Deck to the Graveyard and negate the attack!" He took a card from his deck and showed it, "I send Scouting Owl to the Graveyard." He sent the card to the Graveyard and then a wall made out of trees blocked Curse of Vampire's path, thus preventing it from attacking any further.

 **KYLIAN LP: 2400** → **2900**

"I also get to draw a card when this effect resolves." Kylian drew another card before he pointed at Albel, "I activate Scouting Owl's effect! When this monster is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can target one Magic or Trap Card on the field and destroy it! I choose your Vampire's Castle!" As soon as he said that, the castle crumbled and disappeared altogether.

The Duel Hunters got fired up as they knew what meant. There would be less chances of Albel recovering life now to use his effects.

Albel simply gestured his hand toward Kylian, "So, you simply blocked that one attack but you've actually helped me more than you can imagine." Before Kylian could ask what he meant by that, Albel was already pointing at the town around them, "The effect of Vampire Empire activates! When a card is sent from my opponent's Deck to the Graveyard, I target a card on the field and send a DARK "Vampire" monster from my hand or Deck to the Graveyard. That card is then destroyed." Albel chose a card from his Deck and held it up momentarily, "Since Kelvar Wolf cannot be targeted right now, I think I'll get rid of your Sacred Forest of Protection." He sent Vampire Familiar to his Graveyard before Kylian's magic card was destroyed.

Kylian gritted his teeth in annoyance as he watched Albel placing a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." Since it was the end of the turn, the effect of Undead Struggle ends as well.

 **Curse of Vampire** ( **ATK: 3000** → **2000** )

Kylian drew his card, "It's my turn, I draw! I Normal Summon Forest Keeper - Harvest Bee ( **ATK: 1500** , DEF: 900, LV: 4)!" Harvest Bee appeared on Kylian's side of the field.

Kylian held out his hand, "I activate Scouting Owl's monster effect! By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I target a "Forest Keeper" on my field and it gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase!" As Scouting Owl was banished, Kelvar gain more strength which made Albel narrowed his eyes in response.

 **Forest Keeper - Kelvar Wolf** ( **ATK: 2800** → **3800** )

"Battle! Kelvar, attack Curse of Vampire! Force of the Earth!" Kelvar leaped into the air and smashed his claw into the ground, creating a fissure that headed towards Curse of Vampire.

However, Albel gestured his hand towards the field, "With Vampire Empire on my field, any Zombie-type monsters that battle gain 500 ATK during damage calculation only."

 **Curse of Vampire** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2500** )

The fissure then erupted giant earth pillars that pierced Curse of Vampire and destroyed it.

 **ALBEL LP: 2500** → **1200**

Albel replied, "I activate Curse of Vampire's effect. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can pay 500 LP to Special Summon it during the next Standby Phase."

 **ALBEL LP: 1200** → **700**

Genjo held up a fist in excitement, "He has no monsters on his field while Kylian still has Harvest Bee to attack with!" Daiki cheered in agreement, "Finish this, Kylian!"

Kylian smirked as he pointed at Albel, "You're finished! Harvest Bee attacks you directly!" Harvest Bee flew straight towards Albel.

However, Albel then smirked as well as he didn't fazed, "It's too soon for you to celebrate, young man." He then pressed a button, "Especially with this! I activate the Trap Card: Vampire Reborn! I target a "Vampire" in my Graveyard and Special Summon it! Come, Vampire Goblin ( **DEF: 1300** )!" Goblin returned to the field in a defensive stance.

Kylian gritted his teeth in annoyance before he yelled, "Howl, Kelvar! Wolf Guardian's Gale!" Kelvar howled which made a tornado that drained Goblin's energy.

 **Vampire Goblin** (ATK: 1600→800, **DEF: 1300** → **650** )

"And thanks to Vampire Reborn's effect, Vampire Goblin cannot be destroyed by battle this turn since I have two or more "Vampires" in the Graveyard." Albel revealed the other effect of his trap card.

Kylian narrowed his eyes as he said, "I end my turn with that." He had no more options which means he has to wait until his next turn to finish this.

Albel placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He looked at the card and his smile grew a little cruel as he saw what he drew. After he placed the card in his hand, he held out his hand, "First, due to its effect, Curse of Vampire returns to field! And it also gains 500 ATK when summoned this way!" Curse of Vampire returned to Albel's side next to Vampire Goblin.

 **Curse of Vampire** ( **ATK: 2000** → **2500** )

Kylian frowned as he looked at the monster, " _With Vampire Empire on the field, Curse of Vampire is able to defeat Kelvar but I do have Ceremony to prevent his destruction."_

However, Albel had a condescending smile on his face, "...You've put up a nice little show for me. But I'm afraid it is time for me to put you out of your misery."

Kylian had an irritated look on his face as he being underestimated again, "What?"

Albel held up a card, "Allow me to show you. I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Vampire Snatch! Since I have two or more "Vampires" in my Graveyard, I target a "Vampire" Magic or Trap Card in my Graveyard and set it on my field!" Albel picked a certain trap from his Graveyard and set it onto the field.

Albel smirked before his eyes widened in intensity, "And now, I activate…" He held up a certain card, "...the Magic Card: Polymerization!"

Kylian looked surprised, "You're a Fusion user?" And why does he get this weird vibe from Albel as he held up the fusion card?

Albel's smirk grew bigger as he looked at his field, "With this card, I fuse Curse of Vampire and Vampire Goblin on my field!" Curse of Vampire and Vampire Goblin went into a colorful vortex as they fused together while Albel was chanting.

"Servants of the bloody midnight! Combine together and form an amalgamation for one of the great lords of the undead! Fusion Summon! Come, Level 8! Al Dhampir - Vampire Lord Ruthven ( **ATK: 2700** , DEF: 2200, LV: 8)!" Albel summoned a white-skinned vampire that had ash-colored eyes and spiky black hair. He was wearing a dark grey robe along with a purple cape as well as dark red polyester on the collar and golden buttons on the design. The vampire had a cruel smile on his face as he appeared.

While Kylian was surprised by the summoning, he regained his composure and retorted, "Heh. It doesn't matter if you can Fusion Summon." He then looked up at the sky, "Howl, Kelvar! Wolf Guardian's Gale!" A tornado then surrounded around Ruthven as it appeared unfazed by it.

Albel's smile grew bigger as he looked at Kylian, "A nice gesture but it will be all for naught. Because of the effect of Vampire Snatch, I can activate that same set card during the turn it was set!" He pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate my Counter Trap: Vampire Domination!" The set card was revealed to be the counter trap he used earlier and Kylian's eyes widened in shock. Albel continued, "You should know what that means. Since I control a "Vampire" monster on my field, your monster's effect is negated and destroyed!" The tornado was stopped as Albel's trap then launched a red burst of energy toward Kelvar.

Kylian gritted his teeth before he threw out his arm, "I banish Ceremony of the Forest in order to prevent Kelvar from being destroyed!" As Kylian's card was banished, Kelvar took the blast and wasn't destroyed although it howled in pain a little.

Albel held up and showed Vampire's Domain, "I went easy on you before and now it is time to end this charade. By sending a face-up "Vampire" card from my hand or field, I can Special Summon Vampire Familiar ( **ATK: 500** , DEF: 0, LV: 1) from my Graveyard!" Vampire's Domain left the field and then a black, shadowy bat creature appeared on the field. It had no eyes or face; it was just a black shadow of a bat with a glowing red mouth.

Albel's smirk turned into a mocking smile as he held up a finger to his forehead, "Since you've already used Kelvar's effect, you can't activate it again when I Special Summon again. Right?" Kylian's eyes widened in irritation and he also gritted his teeth while silently admitting he was right.

"I activate Vampire Familiar's effect! When this card is Special Summoned, I can pay 500 LP to add a "Vampire" monster from my Deck to my hand." Familiar glowed red for a second before Albel added a monster to his hand.

 **ALBEL LP: 700** → **200**

Albel then showed the monster he added to his hand, "And with it, I release Vampire Familiar in order to Tribute Summon Vampire Scargelet ( **ATK: 2200** , DEF: 2200, LV: 6)!" Familiar vanished from the field in exchange for a vampire that had ash-colored hair, a black robe with red underneath, a white, cuffed long-sleeve shirt, and it was wielding a sharp-ended scepter with a red orb in its left hand.

Albel paused for a second before he smiled, "Battle. I attack Harvest Bee with Vampire Scargelet!" Scargelet flew straight toward Harvest Bee.

 **Vampire Scargelet** ( **ATK: 2200** → **2700** )

Scargelet then slashed through the monster, destroying it.

 **KYLIAN LP: 2900** → **1700  
** **Vampire Scargelet** ( **ATK: 2700** → **2200** )

Albel gestured toward his other monster, "Now, Vampire Lord Ruthven's monster effect! Any time I deal damage to my opponent, I gain LP equal to the amount I inflicted." Ruthven laughed as he glowed blue which also granted Albel more life.

 **ALBEL LP: 200** → **1400**

Albel smirked as he pointed at Ruthven, "Then, Ruthven's other effect activates! Once per turn, when I gain LP, I can target a card on the field and destroy it! I think you know what card I'm choosing." Kylian's eyes widened in shock as Albel pointed at the only card Kylian had left: Kelvar. Albel then yelled, "Blood Sublimation!" Kelvar was then surrounded by bones and graves before red ooze came out of the ground and consumed Kelvar as it howled in pain. Kylian was left in shock as he had no monsters to protect himself with.

"Now, I attack you directly with Vampire Lord Ruthven!" Ruthven gathered a dark orb of energy while putting blood inside it. He then launched the orb at Kylian. Kylian could only watch in shock as the orb was coming towards him. He was then hit with the orb in the chest which caused him a lot of pain as he yelled out. He was pushed back and then launched into the air; after a few seconds, he landed on the floor and was knocked unconscious.

 **KYLIAN LP: 1700** → **0**

 **KYLIAN: LOSE  
ALBEL: WIN**

The Duel Hunters could only watch in shock and worry as they saw their leader defeated. Bryan looked the most concerned as he yelled out, "Kylian!"

As Kylian was knocked unconscious, Albel walked towards him and stared at him. He then smiled a little cruelly as he said, "Oh, don't worry Kylian. I'll make sure you will be very useful to all of us."

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Forest Keeper - Warrior Bear  
** (LV: 5, Beast, EARTH, ATK: 2000, DEF: 1400)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is sent to the GY by a card effect: You can add 1 Beast or Winged Beast-type "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster from your Deck to your hand. If this card is banished: You can target one of your banished "Forest Keeper" monsters, except this card; Special Summon that monster. You can only use each effect of "Forest Keeper - Warrior Bear" once per turn.

 **Forest Keeper - Stone Hunter Kine  
** (LV: 4, Beast, EARTH, Ritual, ATK: 2100, DEF: 2400)  
 _Monster Effect:_ You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Forest" Ritual Magic. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing damage. While this card is in Defense Position, your opponent cannot target "Forest Keeper" monsters you control with attacks except this one. Once per turn, at the end of the Battle Phase, if this card battled: You can change this card to Defense Position. If this card is sent to the GY by a card effect: You can target 1 "Forest Keeper" you control; it gains 1000 ATK & DEF until the end of the next turn.

 **Forest Keeper - Force Fairy  
** (LV: 3, Fairy, EARTH, ATK: 1100, DEF: 1000)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is Tributed or sent to the GY by a card effect: Gain 1000 LP. If this card is in your GY: You can banish this card, then target 1 "Forest Keeper" monster you control; until the end of this turn, it can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each.

 **Forest Keeper - Chaser Ocelot  
** (LV: 5, Beast, EARTH, ATK: 2300, DEF: 1700)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is banished: You can add 1 "Forest Keeper" monster from your GY to your hand. If this card is used for the Ritual Summon of a "Forest Keeper" Ritual Monster, that monster gains this effect:  
• When this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Magic/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step.

 **Forest Blockade** (Trap Card) - When your opponent's monster declares an attack: Send 1 "Forest Keeper" monster from your Deck to the GY and negate the attack; then, you can draw 1 card.

 **Forest Keeper - Scouting Owl  
** (LV: 4, Winged-Beast, EARTH, ATK: 1300, DEF: 1500)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is Tributed or sent to the GY by a card effect: You can target 1 Magic/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target. If this card is in your GY: You can banish this card, then target 1 "Forest Keeper" monster you control; it gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase.

 **Vampire Vision** (Magic Card) - Send 1 "Vampire" monster from your hand or Deck to the GY; add 1 "Vampire" Magic/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand, except "Vampire Vision". You can only activate 1 "Vampire Vision" per turn.

 **Vampire's Castle** (Continuous Magic) - During the turn they are Normal or Special Summoned, your opponent cannot target "Vampire" monsters you control with card effects, and they cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of "Vampire" cards and effects. During your End Phase, gain 1000 LP for each "Vampire" monster you control.

 **Vampire Goblin  
** (LV: 4, Zombie, DARK, ATK: 1600, DEF: 1300)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can pay 500 LP; Special Summon 1 Level 4 or below "Vampire" monster from your hand or GY. When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent: Send the top card of your opponent's Deck to the GY.

 **Vampire Cards of Blood** (Magic Card) - If you have 3 or more "Vampire" cards in your GY, pay 1000 LP; draw 2 cards. You can only activate 1 "Vampire Cards of Blood" once per turn.

 **Vampire Knight  
** (LV: 6, Zombie, DARK, ATK: 2600, DEF: 2000)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When a "Vampire" monster you control attacks a monster in Defense Position: Inflict piercing damage. At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card destroyed any monster(s) by battle: You can Special Summon them from the GYs to your field.

 **Vampire Reborn** (Trap Card) - Target 1 "Vampire" monster in your GY; Special Summon it. During the turn it was summoned, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle if you have 2 or more "Vampire" monsters in your GY.

 **Vampire Snatch** (Quick-Play Magic) - If you have 2 or more "Vampire" cards in the GY, target 1 "Vampire" Magic/Trap Card in your GY and set that target. That set card can be activated during this turn. You can only activate 1 "Vampire Snatch" once per turn.

 **Al Dhampir - Vampire Lord Ruthven  
** (LV: 8, Zombie, DARK, Fusion, ATK: 2700, DEF: 2200)  
 _(2 "Vampire" monsters)  
_ _Monster Effect:_ As long as your LP are higher than your opponent's, this card cannot be destroyed by battle. Each time you deal damage (battle or effect) to your opponent: Gain LP equal to that amount. Once per turn, when you gain LP: Target 1 card on the field; destroy it. Once per turn, if your opponent activates a card or effect that targets or would destroy this card: You can pay 1000 LP; negate that effect and, if you do, destroy it.

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience.**

* * *

 **So, that's the end of that chapter. Kylian unfortnately couldn't pull it off even though he did really well. He was caught off guard a bit by the unorthodox style of life point usage and stolen monsters. His opponent was someone with mysterious intentions especially with the hint I gave out. If any of you have watched the GX anime, then you should know Vampires were used during the first season; hence, one of the reasons I chose it for Albel.**

 **By the way, I hope I did a decent job with the explanation of the dimensional war from Ruri's perspective. She really has been bottling up her depression these past couple weeks and felt like she had to say something now.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **A Gem's Hidden Emotions -** Having heard the full story from Ruri, Yuya and company are now more motivated to get more answers as they plan to meet with Yuto and Lucine tonight. Meanwhile, the LDS trio awakens as Reiji goes to meet them. Being against the idea of working with Shun, Masumi lashes out at Reiji...

* * *

 **Like and/or please review ~**


	22. A Gem's Hidden Emotions

**Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter and sent messages. Also, thank you to** _ **janjakennen**_ **and** _ **DivineDemonDragon**_ **for commenting on the last chapter. Here's some of my responses:**

 _ **Janjakennen**_ **\- Well...I could. But I'm not entirely sure if that's a good idea since it might be rushed.**

 _ **DivineDemonDragon**_ **\- I think I've found what you were talking about so sorry about that. I thought I had put that detail in. XD**

* * *

 **Chapter 22 - A Gem's Hidden Emotions**

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - ABANDONED WAREHOUSE**

Back at the warehouse, during a sunny morning, lots of crashes and bangs were happening inside of the building. Someone was also yelling as it can be heard from the outside. It seemed like that person was struggling as grunts were heard along with crates getting destroyed.

There was no one inside the building except for one person which was Bryan. Bryan gritted his teeth as he glared at the wall in front of him. He was surrounded by a lot of wooden crates, some of which were already broken apart. He let out a yell of frustration as he threw a card at the wall.

The _Blood Vorse_ card landed on the ground as Bryan stared at it in anger. He was angry as he remembered how Yuya managed to beat Kylian and humiliate him. From how much he cared about him, Bryan's anger toward Yuya flared up as he glared at the card, "Yuya...Sakaki…!" He yelled out as he walked over and picked up the card.

He raised his head back up and looked at the wall as he saw a silhouette of Yuya in front of him. His eyes widened in anger before he yelled and punched the wall in response. He growled in frustration as he felt his hand hurting but felt too angry to care right now.

However, he stopped growling when he heard laughter behind him which made him wonder who it was. He turned around and was taken aback as he recognized who this was. He stepped back a bit, "Y-You again?!" It was Albel that was standing there who smiled a little in amusement as he was watching Bryan for a moment.

Bryan looked upset as he walked over and stopped in front of Albel, "What have you done with Kylian?"

Albel smirked as he had his hand on his hip, "Well, as you may remember, he lost and now he's keeping his end of the deal. I'm making sure he's going through some _special training_ back at my facility. When I deem him ready, he shall return. Then, I'll have him fight Yuya Sakaki once more." He explained that he sent Kylian to his training center to undergo some procedures so he'll be ready.

Bryan heard all of that and glared back at Albel, "He's not a lab rat!" He was angered by how it seemed like this man was treating Kylian like a science experiment.

"Is that so?" replied Albel before he continued, "Well, regardless, I came to offer you a solution to your dilemma." As Bryan was about to ask what he meant by that, Albel had his hand held out, "If you want your friend back sooner, then all you have to do is duel and defeat Yuya Sakaki."

Bryan narrowed his eyes in confusion, "Defeat Yuya Sakaki?" He wondered why this guy would care about Yuya Sakaki being defeated.

Before he could ask, Albel turned around and walked away as he said, "Well, I wish you good luck. I'm quite certain you'll need it." He waved goodbye as he left the warehouse, leaving Bryan all alone.

After Albel left the building, Bryan just stared off into space as he pondered what to do. While he wondered why this guy was so interested in Yuya, it didn't matter to him right now. All he knows that if he wants to get Kylian back, he has to defeat Yuya Sakaki. But, as much as he hates to admit it, he is no match for Yuya especially since he defeated Kylian. With his current deck and skills, he doesn't stand a chance against him. He clenched his fists in frustration and confusion, " _What am I going to do?"_ He didn't know how he was going to go about this.

After thinking for a few seconds, he shook his head in annoyance, " _I need to clear my head for now."_ He then slammed both of his hands on his head to snap himself out of it before he looked serious, " _I should go visit her."_ He needed some time to think as he soon walked off and left the building altogether.

Meanwhile, Albel was already a couple blocks away from the building as he walked away with his hands in his pockets. He went into an alleyway and was out of public sight. After walking for a moment, he stopped as he had a stern expression on his face. He felt someone's presence nearby him.

Having a feeling he knows who it is, he turned around with a smirk on his face, "I see you still haven't lost your touch." At first, there was no one else in the alleyway. However, after a few seconds, footsteps were being made and someone walked up from behind one of the wall corners. The sun then shined over that person which revealed a woman: Kyo.

Kyo stared at Albel for a few seconds as neither said a word until she narrowed her eyes at him, "Albel."

Albel's smirk grew bigger as he waved his arm around and bowed his head a little, "It is a pleasure to see you again, Miss _Kaiserin_."

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HOSPITAL**

A woman with long, blond hair and brown eyes was resting in a hospital bed while wearing a robe and bandages covering her lower body and legs. She stared at the clear window with a smile on her face.

"Hey, mom." She heard a voice from outside the room and, recognizing the voice, she smiled even more as she turned to see Bryan walking into the room. He looked concerned before he smiled a little as he stopped and leaned over in front of her, "Are you alright? I came to check up on you."

From already knowing what was going on, she kept smiling as she looked at her son, "Yes, I am fine, Bryan. Though still the same as usual." Bryan nodded in understanding.

"It is always nice to see a caring son visiting his mother." Bryan turned around to see the doctor, who was a middle-aged man with short brown hair and eyes, standing at the doorway with a soft smile on his face.

Bryan looked irritated for a second before he simply frowned in defiance and looked to the side, "S-Shut up…" His mother, whose name is Barbara, then laughed a little from his son's stubbornness. The doctor smiled as well from seeing Bryan's reaction.

After a few seconds of silence along from dealing with the embarrassment, Bryan gave the doctor a serious expression on his face, "So...any changes, doctor?"

The doctor sighed a little as he walked over and pressed a few buttons on the monitor next to Barbara, "Unfortunately, it is the same result as the last few times I've told you." He then pulled out a clipboard from his coat and showed it to Bryan. It revealed an x-ray photo of Barbara which showed the fractured bones in her lower body, "Without a proper surgery, your mother's lower body won't recover fully and may be at risk of further injuring her legs if she attempts any excessive activities from using them."

Bryan heard what the doctor said and frowned as his eyes lowered towards the ground in sadness, "I see." Although he wasn't expecting much, he was hoping for some good news.

Around a few months ago, his mother ended up in a car accident which caused the bones in her legs and lower abdomen to be fractured where she can't walk or stretch without straining herself. Since then, she was sent to the hospital to be treated and recover. His father died a couple years after he was born so he's the only one who comes to see her. Bryan was devastated when he found out this happened and has been visiting her as much as he can. She has slowly been getting better as time when on; however, there was one issue with this: while she might have recovered a little bit, she hasn't gone into surgery. As the doctor explained, without a full surgery, her bones won't properly heal and may be risked getting damaged again with any excessive movement. Both Bryan and his mother know this but there's nothing they can do. Though they would like to have the surgery, they have one problem with proceeding it and that is money. With how expensive the surgery will be, they're not exactly wealthy so, as of right now, they can't afford it so Barbara is forced to stay here until further notice. It has been a few months since then and even though Barbara has recovered a little bit, she isn't properly healed at least until she has a surgery which has bothered Bryan ever since.

Seeing the troubled expression on her son's face and knowing what he is thinking, Barbara placed a hand on his shoulder which made him turn to her. She smiled reassuringly, "Bryan, it is alright. I said you don't have to worry about me." As long as her son is healthy and well, she doesn't really mind staying here for a long time. Almost every day she has told Bryan the same thing as she wants him to do whatever he wants that makes him happy.

Bryan grunted a little before he turned his head to the side and frowned. He knows that his mother is okay with staying here but he's not. While he is glad that his mom is slowing getting a little better, he would rather see her in a state of full recovery. Though he wouldn't admit it, he loves his mom very much. It didn't feel right for her to be cooped up in this hospital while he's allowed to walk normally. So, even if his mom tells him its alright, he'll do anything to get the money for the surgery.

It was the main reason why he chose to form the Duel Hunters. Bryan didn't look at his mother as he didn't want her to see his face as he was thinking about this. When he heard that they needed more money for surgery, at first he didn't know what to do. He has various ways to earn money such as working but it didn't work out as, to his dissatisfaction, couldn't deal with "tedious" workloads and such except for maybe a ramen shop though he felt it didn't earn him much pay so he gave up. Then after a while, he started thinking of the one thing he was passionate about: dueling. He decided to give it a shot by earning money from winning various tournaments but he wasn't very skilled so he didn't get anything. After that, he then did the only other thing he could think of: take rare cards from other people and sell them for money. He couldn't do it all by himself, so that's why he gathered a bunch of other people that want the money as well.

Whether or not he actually wanted to do this, it doesn't matter. He just wanted to get money for the surgery. But there is one thing he's concerned about and that's his mother. As far as he knows, his mother isn't aware that he is actually in a duel gang. He really doesn't want her to find out about it. He is afraid it would break her heart. While she would understand that it was for her sake, she still wouldn't have approved it. He doesn't know if she would hate him if she found out, but she definitely would not approve. Even if that is the case, he would rather have her hate him then just sitting there, not being able to do anything. He just has to keep this up until he at least earns enough money which he doesn't know how long it will take but he'll do it. However, besides his mother, there is something else that worries him also: Kylian.

"Bryan." He heard his mother speaking which snapped him out of his thoughts and made him turn back to her. Then, he looked at her as she had a sweet smile on her face while holding something in her hands: a small red box. As he wondered what that was, Barbara looked at him, "I have a surprise for you. Do you know what today is? I had a friend of mine bring this to me earlier this morning." She then smiled even more as she held out the little box toward her son, "Happy Birthday."

Bryan was surprised and taken aback by this gesture as he stepped back a bit to process it for a second. He honestly forgotten today was his 17th birthday. He then had an expression of shock and surprise on his face as he waved his hands back and forth, "Uh...That's alright, mom! You didn't have to get me anything!" He honestly didn't mind getting anything this year considering the state his mother is in.

"Don't be silly. It is your birthday. Besides, it is not just from me." Before Bryan could ask what that meant, Barbara held the box closer to her son, "This is also from your father." Bryan's eyes widened in shock as he heard what his mother said.

Bryan had a confused expression on his face, "This is from dad?" He doesn't remember much about his father other than he knew he loved him very much before he passed away. He wondered what the box is since it is from dad.

Barbara nodded her head, "I've kept it safe all these years. I think...he would want you to have this now. I do as well." She gestured the box to Bryan again, telling him to take it.

Bryan frowned in confusion but was also curious as he reached out and took the box from his mother's hand. He opened it up and was surprised by what he saw, "A deck?" It was a deck of Duel Monsters cards in the middle of the box as he took it out of it.

Barbara smiled, "It is your father's when he was as young as you were. Since you love dueling, I thought you should have it." She knew about her son's passion long before her injury and was planning this for awhile now.

With curiosity on his face, Bryan looked through the cards and his eyes widened a little, "T-This is…" He could feel the burning passion from these cards as his eyes flared, "Fire!" A fiery aura surrounded himself as he stared down at these cards.

Barbara couldn't help but giggle a little from seeing her son so excited before a voice was heard, "Excuse me?" It snapped Bryan out of his thoughts and made him and his mother turn their heads toward the doctor, "I believe it is time for your examination."

Barbara nodded her head, "Of course." She turned to her son, "Bryan." Bryan stumbled a little before he stepped back a bit, "Uh...I'll be going now." Barbara smiled before she waved goodbye as Bryan then left the room.

As the door was shut, after a few seconds passed, Bryan was leaning on the wall near the door next to a soda machine. He was staring at the deck he was given and pondered what to do, "My dad's deck…" Although he didn't want anything this year for his birthday, he didn't expect to get a new deck from it. However, he then realized something, " _With this deck, do I actually have a chance to beat Yuya?"_ His cards are nothing special and probably don't stand a chance against a duelist like Yuya but this deck might.

Suddenly, he started thinking about Kylian and his mother. They were the two most important people in his life and he's the only one who can do anything to help them. Bryan then smirked as he started getting some confidence back, "With this deck...I can defeat Yuya!" He yelled out in the open as there was no one around him. He then looked down at the deck with determination in his eyes as he gripped it hard, " _I have to train very hard in order to master this deck! Yuya Sakaki, I promise you. You are going down!"_

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL**

Yuya, Yuzu, Ruri, Rin and Mikleo were all in the lounge area of You Show while Shuzo and the kids were training out in the arena. Yuya and Mikleo were sitting on a couch next to each other while Yuzu and Rin were on one opposite from them and Ruri was sitting in a lounge chair between them. They needed to discuss more about the situation they are in since they didn't finish it all last night. Everyone that heard what Ruri talked about almost couldn't believe what she was talking about but then they started to warm up to the idea of different dimensions existing. It took a while for Yuzu and Rin to process this while Yuya and Mikleo were more willing to believe her right away. In the end, they've gotten Ruri's full attention but still have some questions for her.

They could hear shouting in the background, "Alright, practice drill starts! Ready, draw!" "Draw!" It sounded like Shuzo is having Tatsuya, Futoshi, and Ayu do drawing drills for practice.

Rin smiled a little as she turned to the direction of the shouting, "It's nice that Shuzo is taking the kids' training more seriously."

Yuya looked at her, "Well, we are approaching the Maiami Championship so he would want to make sure they're in top form."

However, Mikleo, who had his arms crossed and eyes closed, then spoke which made everyone turn back to him, "Anyway, why don't we get back to our conversation from yesterday?"

They all agreed before pondering what to start with next. Then, after a few seconds, Yuzu decided to speak up, "Actually…" Everyone turned to her as Yuzu gave Ruri as a curious expression on her face, "Ruri, there's something that's been bothering me for awhile since you mentioned Academia." Yuzu then looked a little confused before she continued, "With everything you've said about them and why you guys are against them, why exactly is Yuto, Lucine, and Shun targeting LDS then?"

Everyone else heard what Yuzu said and pondered it for a bit as well. If their enemy truly is Academia, then why would they go after LDS and what would be the point? It didn't really make sense so they wondered if Ruri knew something about this. As they turned toward her, Ruri had a conflicted expression on her face as she didn't know what to think either.

After pausing for a while, Ruri spoke with confusion in her voice, "I...I don't know. I'm not sure why they would go after LDS students." She had been thinking about it for a while and she still is not sure why they would go after LDS students. She has considered the possibility that there may be something about LDS that's involved with Academia in a way that she doesn't know about. Other than that, she's totally confused about the situation.

Yuya simply shrugged his shoulders a little, "I guess we'll just have to ask them ourselves later tonight." The rest of them silently agreed and decided to let it go for now.

Ruri then decided to speak as she fidgeted her hands in nervousness, "Anyway...now that I've told you all the truth, what are you going to do?" That question has been bothering her for awhile now and wondered what everyone else is going to respond now. She has a feeling she knows what the answer will be but she wanted to be sure.

At first, there was silence as nobody was saying anything while they looked down at the ground, deep in thought. But then, after a few seconds, a voice was heard, "I'll help you." Everyone turned to where the voice was and it was Yuya who had a look of determination on his face.

Yuya held up a fist as he continued, "I want to help you out, Ruri. I want to help you fight against Academia." He had a few hours to think about it and soon made his decision to help out his friend.

Once they all heard that, Yuzu and Mikleo weren't surprised as they smiled at Yuya's response. Rin blinked her eyes for a couple seconds before she smiled as well.

Ruri, while feeling a little happy about that answer, still had her doubts as she frowned a little, "Yuya, I really appreciate it but you don't have to get involved. Y-You could get hurt, carded or...killed even." She stumbled a bit into that last part as it was hard to put into words but it was a possibility she had to say. This isn't like normal dueling; this is an actual battle between dimensions. As much as she is really happy that her friends are willing to help, the thought of them being put in danger because of her bothers her even more.

Yuya lowered his eyes a little, "That may be true but…" He smiled as he held a fist to his heart, "That isn't going to stop me from helping you." To be honest, he is aware of the risks involved with getting into a war, especially with what he saw in his dreams, but he's willing to take that risk for the sake of a friend.

He then frowned as he lowered his eyes toward his fist, "And it's not just that…" He clenched it even harder as he frowned, "When I think about those dreams I had of Heartland, all of those people's cries and suffering. People like Academia using dueling to hurt people..." His expression turned serious as he raised his head back up, "I just can't ignore them." He remembers how devastated he felt to witness those people turning into cards. He can't just sit by and watch. He wants to help those people. While he isn't all that pleased about using dueling to fight back, he would rather help out everyone with it than not do anything at all.

Yuzu looked at Yuya with a frown on her face, "Yuya…" She looked at the ground to think for a second. She honestly was thinking the same thing that Yuya just said. While it really did concern her whether or not Yuya would get hurt or not, she decided to believe in him. With that in mind, she placed a hand on Yuya's which made him turn toward her, "I'm with you as well." She said that with a reassuring smile which made him smile as well before she turned to Ruri, "I'll help you too, Ruri."

"You can count me in as well." Yuya and Yuzu turned to see Rin with a cool smile on her face, "I want to help out too. I can't standby if there's people out there suffering because of dueling." Even though she's not from this world, hearing that there are people in Ruri's home suffering pains her even more. She's willing to help them out. Before she eventually thought she'll have to go home, given she knows more about where she's actually from, that might be a bit more tricky. She might be sticking around a little later than she thought though Yugo might get mad at her for going missing for so long; she can deal with it.

Ruri could only watch in wonder as she was seeing her friends ready to support and help her. She didn't know how to feel yet. She's touched by this but is still concerned about them getting involved.

Yuya turned to Mikleo in curiosity, "Mikleo?" He wondered what his response was as his brother had his eyes closed and arms crossed together.

Mikleo wasn't saying anything at first but after around half a minute passed, he just shrugged his shoulders and smiled, "You don't need any convincing from me. I'll join in." He then opened his eyes and smirked a little, "Besides, it could be interesting going up against an entire dimension." He couldn't help but feel a little excited about that.

Yuya sweatdropped before he sighed, "This ain't a game, Mikleo." He figured it be part of Mikleo's competitiveness which can get out of hand at times.

"I'm aware of that. I just said that it might be interesting." replied Mikleo.

"Um…" They heard a voice and turned to see Ruri with a hesitate expression on her face before she continued, "Are you sure you want to do this? To fight against Academia?"

As the looks on Yuzu and Rin's faces didn't change, Yuya gave off a sincere smile, "Ruri, I think we all understand the risks but you trust us don't you?"

Before Ruri could respond, Mikleo spoke with his left arm raised, "After all, that was part of the reason you told us, isn't that right?"

Ruri was about to respond before she stopped herself in order to think. She did trust them but she also cares about their safety. Although, pondering for a bit, she thought maybe she was being a little selfish cause she doesn't want them to get hurt. And Mikleo had a point. She did trust them enough to tell them everything she knew so maybe she should trust them to help her as well.

After thinking for a minute, Ruri raised her head as she made her decision with a small smile on her face, "...Okay. You've convinced me." Everyone had smiles on their faces as they finally heard Ruri accept their decision.

Yuzu looked at the ground and fidgeted her hands as she pondered something, "So...what now?" If they were going to help Ruri, they needed to decide what their first move was.

Mikleo held out his hand, "Well, I imagine we can't do anything drastic in the current moment." He then turned his attention toward everyone, "Besides, at the current moment, we don't have the strength to oppose Academia."

Yuzu tilted her head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Mikleo held up a finger in a pointedly manner, "I mean that we don't have enough duelists to oppose Academia. I hate to say it but the five of us against an entire dimension isn't exactly favorable." He pointed to each other one at a time to count before finishing his point.

They heard what Mikleo said and thought he was right. Even if they had the skill and resolve to take on Academia, they are only five duelists and they don't know how many duelists they have to take on in the Fusion Dimension. They imagine there would be more than 30, 40, or 50 duelists in that school, maybe even hundreds or thousands; they don't know. Regardless if they're strong or not, it would exhaust them so much to duel them for however many times without having any more help.

Yuya thought about it for a second before he nodded, "Yeah. If we had more strong duelists with us, it could increase our chances of fighting back even better."

Ruri looked down at the ground, " _That reminds me. I need to ask Yuto and Lucine how everybody is doing."_ She hasn't heard anything about what's been happening in her home since she got teleported out of there and she's a little worried that something might have happened.

Yuzu was hesitate for a second before she spoke, "Actually, there's something I want to ask you all." As everyone wondered what Yuzu had to say, she frowned, "Well...what about Sora?"

As soon as she asked that question, there was nothing but dead silence in the room as nobody didn't know what to say. Yuzu, Rin, and Yuya all frowned as they each thought about what to say about Sora. Mikleo didn't say anything while Ruri had an understanding frown on her face as she watched everyone stay silent.

However, Rin spoke which made everyone turn to her, "It's...difficult to imagine Sora being a part of Academia." She frowned as she turned her head away, having trouble accepting the fact that Sora is Ruri's enemy. Sora has been her friend for as long as he had been in You Show. Sure, they disagree on a lot of stuff and she has to correct him a bunch of times but she thought they had a nice friendship. From hearing Sora is a part of Academia changes her perspective of him and she can't help but feel a little angry that he tricked them like that. Now, she's both angry and cautious of him but still feels sad for him as well. She's very mixed about him at the moment.

Yuzu nodded in agreement before she frowned, "Yeah…" To be honest, she felt really sad about the whole thing. She is sad that Sora didn't say anything about his origins and probably tricked them like that. It makes it worse that she considers him a close friend and the one who taught her how to Fusion Summon. When she first met him, she thought he was a little laid back and childish but was at least a good person, now she's not sure. Although, now that she thinks about it, it would explain some of the odd things she's seen Sora doing especially with his behavior at times whenever he sees Yuto and the others.

Suddenly, Mikleo turned to see what Yuya's response is and, not to his surprise, Yuya was just looking at the ground with a thinking expression on his face, not saying anything as he was in deep thought.

Ruri watched as her friends weren't saying anything else with sadness in her eyes, understanding the hurt they're probably feeling right now. She then spoke, "I know it is hard to accept but it is the truth." She held out her right arm, "Rin, do you remember the day I got a cut on my arm?" As Rin nodded her head, Ruri moved her eyes to the side, "Well...I didn't actually get it from a fall. I battled with Sora and he did that to my arm." Rin and Yuzu's eyes widened in shock from hearing this. Mikleo narrowed his eyes as a result while Yuya was unresponsive.

Rin looked at Ruri for a second to process this before she lowered her head, " _So, it was because of Sora."_ The more she thought about it, she had wondered why exactly Ruri and Sora were in the middle of an alleyway when she found them and that would explain some things. Well, she knows one thing, if Ruri didn't have enough proof about her suspicions with Sora, she definitely has enough now.

While she still feeling sad about Sora, Yuzu noticed that Yuya hasn't said a word since Sora was brought up and wondered how he was taking this right now. She turned to Yuya with concern in her eyes, "Yuya?" Hearing Yuzu speak made everyone else turn toward him as well.

Ruri sighed in sadness as she knew how Yuya felt about the situation, "I know it is difficult to accept but...sadly Academia has agents that can probably deceive a lot of people as well. Sora would be no different." She said that with minor hesitation as she hasn't had that happened to her before other than with Sora but it is still a possibility she can't ignore. She imagined that it might have happened back at home but she hasn't heard anything yet.

At first, Yuya still didn't say anything which made everyone a little concerned except for Mikleo who just looked at him in amusement. However, after a few seconds, Yuya got everyone's attention when he raised his head. He had a look of resolve on his face as he spoke, "...I want to believe in Sora."

As Ruri's eyes widened in surprise, Yuya continued, "I've thought about it for a while now. I want to try convincing him that kind of dueling isn't right." He finished his statement as he said with conviction in his voice.

Yuya had time to think about it ever since he learned the truth about Sora from Ruri. At the time, when he first met Sora, he admits that he found him a little odd and suspicious while being a little annoyed with the whole "teacher" thing. It didn't help when he had that dream about Academia and he was wearing an identical uniform to the one they were wearing in his dream. He brushed it off thinking it was just a dream but was confused at the same time as he didn't know what to think at that time. Whenever he asked about where he was from, he noticed that Sora always dodged the question, same thing with his uniform. But because Sora kinda grew on him, he wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust him. Overtime, he became a good friend to him and had fun having him around.

However, when he learned that his doubts about him were actually true, he was hurt and upset by the whole thing. He was hurt that Sora is from the same place where he witnessed those duel soldiers brutally assaulted Heartland. He was upset that Sora did lie to them or at least didn't say anything about his origins. If he was completely honest, he felt a little betrayed by this whole thing even if he didn't want it to be the case. That is how he initially thought. But overtime, he started to think a little more about the situation. Sora may have been lying to them, but Yuya has been lying to himself also. In his heart, he knew that there was something up with Sora but just didn't know what it was. A lot of times he caught Sora wearing a fake smile especially whenever they discuss about dueling when he was around and he can tell it was a fake smile cause he's had them before for a long time. It seemed like Sora was hiding something, almost apathetic with the way he talks. He saw those but didn't know what to make of them and just brushed them off, thinking it wasn't that important and trying to be optimistic. He was somewhat guilty when it comes to Sora since he didn't do anything about it. However, he also caught Sora seemingly having a genuine smile on his face like he was actually enjoying himself with his friends. It is making him doubt about how Sora really feels; it makes him also want to try and reach out to him.

Rin looked at Yuya in curiosity, "You want to convince Sora?" Yuya nodded in response. Yuzu smiled a little as she had a feeling Yuya might say that. Mikleo knew as well as he smirked a little.

Ruri frowned before she turned to Yuya with confusion in her eyes, "Yuya, I know Sora is your friend but you do understand where he is from, right?" She knows Yuya isn't the type of person to give up on his friends but this is probably a lost cause for him.

Yuya lowered his eyes a little, "Yeah. I'm fully aware about who Academia is and what they are capable of." He witnessed them in a couple dreams as he watched the brutality they caused to Ruri's home and its people. He raised his head toward Ruri, "But...I'm not convinced Sora is exactly like them."

Ruri narrowed her eyes in confusion and wondered how Yuya came to that theory. Before she could ask, Yuya had a hand out as he continued, "I'm partially to blame for this as I had a feeling there was something up with Sora. I just didn't know what it was and didn't do anything about it." He turned his eyes away in guilt and frowned as he said that last sentence.

Yuzu frowned, "Yuya…" She lowered her eyes as well as she felt guilty about it too. Similar to Yuya, she thought Sora did act a little strange at times. Particularly, the most recent was when he was with her at the warehouse when Yuto and Lucine appeared. To her, it almost seemed like Sora was taunting them and trying to provoke them into dueling him but she didn't know why. Before she thought it was because Sora being childish or was getting interested in dueling a mysterious and strong guy like Yuto or Lucine, but now it is clear that the motive was different. She didn't do anything about Sora as well so she's just as guilty as Yuya.

Yuya turned back to Ruri as he continued, "I've seen Sora having a fake smile a few times. I know what they look like. But I've also seen him enjoying himself multiple times. Even if his allegiance is with Academia, you can't fake having a smile like that."

Ruri stared at the ground for a few seconds to ponder about what Yuya just said. She then raised her head back up, "...It's true that I've also seen Sora act strangely whenever he was around us, but…"

However, Mikleo interrupted, "But that doesn't change the fact that Sora is one of these duel soldiers." Everyone turned to Mikleo in confusion as he looked at Yuya with a stoic expression on his face, "I know how you feel, little brother, but there's also the chance that he may be more focused on the goal of Academia than actual friendship. Although, I've never seen them in action, I can picture what they are like. When I think of the mentality of actual duel soldiers, I can imagine them not caring about feelings and just focusing on the task at hand. Even if what you're implying is true, that Sora isn't being completely honest with himself, there's also a chance that you may be wrong or that he's not going to change his mind." He understands that Yuya is trying to be optimistic and seeing some good in Sora but he's also got to realize that not everything can be solved with just words or belief alone especially something as complicated as this.

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he looked down to think about this. Yuzu and Rin frowned as well before they started to ponder that possibility as well. As he was thinking for a few seconds, Ruri frowned but had a look of understanding on her face, "Yuya, I understand what you're saying but I don't think it works like that. I've tried before but he wouldn't listen." She then told everyone that she tried to talk Sora into not fighting during the one duel they had but it failed.

Yuya frowned a little and nodded in understanding, "Even so, I want to try. And if I can't convince Sora that what he is doing isn't right…" He then had a look of resolve on his face before he raised a fist, "Then as his friend, I will stop him."

Rin and Ruri looked at Yuya in wonder as they saw how passionate he was about this. He is determined to help Sora but is also willing to stop him if necessary. They then heard someone else speak, "You won't be alone."

Yuya turned to see Yuzu with a determined expression on her face as well, "Sora is my friend too and I didn't see anything about him either. I'll try to convince Sora as well." Yuya smiled from hearing Yuzu's answer.

Rin sighed a little before she smiled, "Well, even though I'm still mad at Sora for lying to us, he is my friend too. I'll help out as well." Yuya and Yuzu smiled even more from hearing Rin's answer.

Yuya turned to Mikleo who just had a neutral expression on his face. He then shrugged his shoulders, "You can do what you want. I'm still gonna keep an eye on him just in case but good luck with that." He said that nonchalantly as he didn't mind Yuya and the others doing their own thing.

Ruri looked at everyone individually, wondering if they're serious before she saw the sincerity and determination in their expressions. She pondered it for a second before she sighed and gave a small smile, "Well, guess I can't change your mind. I'll try to see what I can do as well." Even though she's not sure if it will happen, she still does have some hope that maybe Sora will change his mind and she'll take that chance for now.

Yuzu looked at Yuya which made him turn toward her, "Let me handle Sora for now. I'll be with him during his last qualifier match. I'll see if I can to try to get him to open up." Yuya nodded in response, content with Yuzu trying to get to Sora first.

"Just don't be too obvious. Otherwise, he's definitely gonna get suspicious. And try not to ask too many questions or something." Mikleo said that with a serious expression on his face as he had his arms crossed together.

Yuzu placed her hands together, "I promise. I'll be as vague as possible." Mikleo stared at her for a second before he gave a thumbs up in approval.

Rin clapped her hands together to bring everyone's attention, "Okay, enough moping about Sora for now." She turned to Ruri with a curious smile on her face, "I wanna know how you feel Ruri. About seeing your friends tonight."

Ruri was taken aback for a second before she fidgeted her hands in nervousness, "Well...I'm happy I get to see them after so long." To be honest, she felt a little nervous since Yuto and Lucine would also be meeting Yuya and the others for the first time. Even though she wonders how that interaction will go, she's both cautious and excited to see them after missing them a lot.

Yuzu raised a fist in excitement, "Well, I'm hoping Yuto and Lucine will finally answer some of my questions."

Yuya hummed in thought before he looked at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression on his face, "I'm more curious about Yuto right now. I've actually been wanting to meet him for awhile now."

"Yeah, about that. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think you all are forgetting something." Everyone turned to Mikleo in confusion as he had a hand up in a pointedly manner.

Mikleo opened his eyes and turned his attention to Yuzu, who blinked her eyes in confusion. He then pointed at her bracelet, "Your bracelet. We have to do something about that."

Yuzu then realized what he meant and looked down at her bracelet in wonder, "Oh yeah. I sorta forgot about it." It kinda slipped her mind that her bracelet can teleport people just like Ruri and Rin's. Usually, it happens right as Yuya is nearby and teleports Yuto or somebody before he got real close though she still doesn't understand why exactly.

Yuya had a hand to his chin as he thought about it, "Hmm...You're right. Yuzu, didn't you say that your bracelet teleported Yuto a couple times?"

Yuzu nodded as she kept staring at it, "Yeah. Though it only happened right when you show up Yuya."

Mikleo turned his attention to Rin and Ruri, "Has any of your bracelets starting acting up as well this past week?"

Rin narrowed her eyes before she raised her arm to look at her bracelet, "Not really. It hasn't done anything since it brought me here." While she would also like to know more about why her bracelet did that, she's more confused as to why it hasn't done anything else since it teleported her here.

Ruri stared at her bracelet in curiosity, "Same with me. Mine hasn't really done anything either." She was wondering the same thing as there was still the mystery of how it did that.

Mikleo held out his hand to Yuzu, "In any case, unless we do something about that bracelet, we won't be able to talk to Yuto and Lucine at least not with everyone." If they don't do something about that bracelet, then they will experience unnecessary problems when communicating with Ruri's friends. For example, Yuya can't talk to Yuto unless Yuzu's bracelet isn't anywhere near either of them.

Yuya crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, "Just Yuzu's bracelet? Shouldn't we be a little concerned about the others as well?" Since they knew Ruri and Rin's bracelet teleport people as well, he figured they should do something about them as well since they are very similar to Yuzu's.

"I don't believe we have to worry about that." As the others wondered what he meant by that, Mikleo pointed at Rin's bracelet, "From what I've gathered about each bracelet, they seem to function differently in many ways. For example, Rin, you said that you might have heard a voice before your bracelet activated. And from what Ruri has said, there was no one else around when it activated and it was blinking when it happened." He pointed at Ruri's bracelet as he said that last part.

Mikleo then held out his hand, "Meaning, that there is something else that is triggering these bracelets besides my brother being near Yuto. Besides teleporting, they seem to act differently depending on these circumstances. What they are, I don't know yet. But remember Ruri was with Yuya one time when they arrived at the warehouse to get Yuzu, Yuzu's bracelet activated when Yuya was nearby but Ruri's didn't activate did it?" He was referring to the time that Yuya went to one of the warehouses to make sure Yuzu was safe and Ruri came along with him. Yuzu has told everyone that her bracelet made Yuto vanish but nothing was said about Ruri's during that time which makes him believe that hers function differently for some reason.

Yuya, Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin pondered what he said for a second before they each realized he had a point. If each of their bracelets acted the exact same way, why wouldn't Ruri's activate when Yuto and Yuya were near each other? The more they think about it, the bracelets themselves look similar in some way but they are not the same.

Mikleo smirked as he saw everyone was slowly realizing the same thing before he pointed at Yuzu's bracelet, "From this logic, I've deduced that Yuzu's bracelet is the only one that activates when Yuya is near someone like Yuto or vice versa."

Ruri looked at her bracelet in wonder, "Wow. I never thought of it like that."

Yuya tilted his head in confusion, "So, what should we do then?" From learning all of this information, he wondered how they were going to handle the bracelet without it activating or something.

At first, there was silence as nobody had a suggestion right at the moment. But then, Mikleo held out a hand toward Yuzu, "If you give me the bracelet, I can hold on to it until you get back." Everyone else was caught a little off guard by that statement.

While Yuzu looked on in confusion, Yuya narrowed his eyes from hearing his brother's suggestion, "Mikleo, you're willing to stay behind?" From what his brother was saying, he is willing to stay at either You Show or at home while holding onto Yuzu's bracelet for a while which would mean he won't be coming with them to meet with Yuto and the others.

Mikleo simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled, "I will admit I am curious about Yuto and the others, but if it helps us then I got no problem staying behind. Besides, you can tell me what happened when you get back." From his suggestion, he's saying that as long as Yuzu doesn't have her bracelet with her and it isn't within range of Yuya or Yuto, then it shouldn't be able to activate in theory. He's honestly fine with staying behind. Besides, he has other things he wants to do in the meantime.

Yuzu stared at her bracelet for a minute as she thought about it before she nodded in resolve, "Okay." She then moved her hand and took her bracelet off her wrist. She handed it to Mikleo who took it from her and held it in his hand.

Yuzu looked at Mikleo with a cautious look on her face, "Just be careful with it, okay?"

Mikleo sighed, "I will." He stared at the bracelet in curiosity as he rotated it around, "Say, why are you so attached to this bracelet anyway?" For as long as he could remember, he witnessed Yuzu wearing this thing almost every day and was curious if she had some attachment to it or something.

She was caught off guard by the question before she stared at the bracelet, contemplating about what to answer. She stared longfully at the bracelet, "...I don't know. From what my dad tells me, I've had it since I was born." She wasn't even sure why she is attached to it as she said that, almost making her ponder about the subject.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION**

Reiji was sitting at his desk, writing a new agreement down for the Maiami Championship. He had hoped to get it approved before the event starts, which is why he is writing it early. However, he heard ringing coming from his computer so he stopped writing and pressed a button in response, "Yes?"

"President. The students are awake. They have regained consciousness." The voice was Nakajima heard from the phone call on Reiji's computer.

Reiji nodded in response, "Good." He knew Nakajima was referring to Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto who were injured after dueling Kurosaki.

"But...we have a problem." As Reiji raised an eyebrow, Nakajima spoke a little hesitantly, "Masumi Kotsu is trying to leave the premise and won't listen to the doctors."

Reiji placed his hands under his chin, "...I assume she's trying to leave to go after Kurosaki, again?" He had a feeling that might be the case otherwise she wouldn't trying to leave right after regaining consciousness, disregarding the doctors' orders.

"That might be the case. We're trying to keep her at bay as much as we can." replied Nakajima.

Reiji stood up from his desk, "Keep her from leaving as much as possible. I'll be on my way."

"Yes, Mr. President," said Nakajima as the call ended and Reiji soon walked away to leave his office toward where the LDS students were.

* * *

"What do you mean I can't leave?!" Masumi had an angry expression on her face as she bawled up her fists. She had bandages on the right side of her cheek and on her shoulders thanks to the injuries she suffered from the duel with the LDS attacker. She was at the entrance of a medical room on one of the floors at LDS.

A nurse was standing in the middle of the doorway with her hands up, blocking Masumi and preventing her from moving as the nurse looked concerned, "You mustn't! You've still not fully recovered!"

Masumi gritted her teeth and attempted to force her way out before she felt two arms holding her from each side. She turned her head back and forth to see two men in suits, one of them being Nakajima on her left, holding her back, "Let go of me!"

Nakajima yelled as he held her left arm, "You're not allowed to leave this room yet!" So far, he and the guard next to him can handle this girl but she won't stop struggling which is making it difficult.

Someone then yelled out, "Masumi, that's enough!" The one who yelled was Yaiba who came out with her back facing him. He had bandages over his left arm and backside. He looked at her with narrowed eyes, "Stop trying to get in trouble with the security!"

Hokuto then walked out and stopped next to Yaiba as he had bandages over part of his neck and both of his shoulders. Hokuto held out a fist, "Yeah! We're as angry as you right now but you don't need to be so reckless!"

Masumi yelled, "Shut up! I've got to find that guy again! I need to take him down!" She was getting more angry as she struggled to move and security won't let her leave but she was determined as she pushed back farther.

Nakajima felt himself getting pushed back as Masumi was fighting even harder. He yelled out, "We need reinforcements!"

"That will not be necessary." Everyone stopped what they were doing as they heard someone speak. They turned their heads to see Reiji appearing from the door. He had a calm expression on his face as he stepped into the room.

Nakajima stopped what he was doing and turn to him, "President." He bowed a little as well as the other security guard that was with him.

Masumi frowned as she was released before she was confused as she looked at Reiji, " _Reiji Akaba. Why is he here?"_ She wondered what the president of LDS would want here. Yaiba brought out his kendo and tapped it on his shoulder, not saying anything but curious as to why Reiji is here. Hokuto was the same as he blinked his eyes in confusion.

Reiji raised his hand which made the two men turned at each other and nodded before they left the room along with the nurse, leaving Reiji alone with Masumi and the others.

While Masumi was still confused, she narrowed her eyes a little, "What are you doing here, Reiji Akaba?"

Reiji stared at her for a few seconds, not saying anything before he turned his eyes toward Yaiba and Hokuto who both looked back in confusion. Reiji turned back to Masumi as he placed his hands behind his back, "I have come here to discuss some things with you three."

Yaiba and Hokuto came over and stopped right behind Masumi as Hokuto asked, "What do you mean?"

"Do you all remember what had happened a couple days ago before you lost consciousness?" asked Reiji.

Yaiba gritted his teeth in response, "How could we forget? We suffered a humiliating defeat from that guy." He's not gonna mention the fact that it took one turn with a ridiculously high ATK monster, though he will admit that he was very impressed by it even if he's not saying it.

Hokuto clenched his fists in anger as he looked down at the ground, "It was more humiliating than my loss to Yuya!" Both his pride as an Xyz user and an LDS student was shattered because of what happened in that duel.

Masumi ignored the two of them and looked at Reiji, "Stand aside! I've gotta find that guy again and take him down!"

"You're referring to Shun Kurosaki." Masumi was taken aback a little before Reiji continued, "That's his name. The man you have been searching for."

Masumi was confused at first before she threw out her arm in retaliation, "I don't care what his name is! All I want to duel him again!" She held up a clenched fist and looked at it with a sad frown, "To avenge Professor Marco…"

Reiji closed his eyes, "That won't be necessary." Masumi raised her head in confused before Reiji had a calm expression on his face still, "It is no longer needed to continue searching for Kurosaki."

Yaiba narrowed his eyes, "What?" Hokuto was confused as well before he had a theory as his eyes widened, "Wait, does that mean LDS has finally captured that guy?!" That was the only explanation he could think of as to why they didn't need to search for Kurosaki any longer. Unfortunately, he was wrong, it was quite the opposite.

Reiji decided to get to the point, "Not quite. It is actually the opposite. Starting from here on Kurosaki will be working with us."

At first, the LDS trio thought they heard him wrong but after processing it a few seconds later, all of them looked shocked, "...What?"

Reiji held out his arm and said, "It is as I said. We have reached a deal with Kurosaki and is willing to ally with us for a greater purpose." He could see the shock in their expressions and he isn't really surprised.

Hokuto walked up to Reiji with an angry expression on his face, "Hey! Is this a joke?! Why on Earth is that guy working with us now?! He is the one responsible for the incidents!" Neither one of them could blame his shock and anger as it was the same guy who was responsible for making LDS students and teachers go missing these past few days.

Reiji still looked calm as he turned to Hokuto, "I will admit that Kurosaki is responsible for most of the incidents but I am willing to overlook that. Especially since there is a bigger problem at hand. Bigger than the missing LDS staff."

Yaiba narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean? Bigger how exactly?" While he was not too thrilled about this information either, he was more curious and confused as to why LDS and Reiji were allowing Kurosaki to ally with them and what is supposedly worse than the incidents these past few days.

Masumi didn't say anything as she lowered her head and had her eyes covered by her hair, unable to see her expression.

Reiji closed his eyes and paused for a moment before he then adjusted his glasses and spoke, "...It concerns not just LDS but every single person in this world. To be specific, it may concern the fate of the world."

Yaiba and Hokuto were taken aback by what they just heard and didn't know what to make of it. They wondered what Reiji meant by "the fate of the world." Is Reiji actually serious?

Reiji looked at the three of them, "Because of the circumstances, having Kurosaki as an ally will benefit us more in the long run. We need all the help and support we can get for this." He held out a hand to them, "Now, I ask you three, to help us…"

"Don't screw with me!" Everyone turned to see Masumi with intensity in her eyes as she glared at Reiji, "You're saying you want me to work with that guy?! The guy who was responsible for Professor Marco's disappearance?! There's no way I can accept that!"

Reiji turned to Masumi, "While your anger is understandable, I am afraid you'll just have to accept it. We'll need more help for our bigger objective." He noted that Masumi is getting angrier with each passing second but he's trying to approach this as calmly and objective as possible which doesn't seem to be working.

Masumi lowered her eyes, "I don't care what this objective is! I can't forgive that guy for what he did! I refuse!" She threw out her arm in defiance as she said that last part.

Hokuto looked on in shock as he said, "Hey, Masumi…?" He didn't blame her for getting upset but it seemed like she was angrier about this than normal. Yaiba noticed it too as he frowned.

Reiji was silent for a while as he stared at the anger in Masumi's eyes. He narrowed his eyes at her as he adjusted his glasses, "Well, whether or not you're willing to help us, we've already come to an agreement. So, sorry to disappoint you, but this is beneficial for us."

Masumi's eyes widened in response and gritted her teeth, her anger clouding her thoughts from what she was hearing. Then, to everyone's surprise, she did the one thing no one saw coming: she yelled and reached out to punch Reiji in the face as she flexed her arm and fist forward.

However, Reiji reacted fast enough and caught Masumi's fist with his hand just as it was about to connect. He was unfazed by this as he stared at Masumi who gritted her teeth.

Yaiba was shock before he turned fully toward Masumi, "Masumi, what are you thinking?!" Trying to punch the president of LDS was not a smart idea in his opinion. Hokuto had his mouth open in shock as he didn't say anything.

Masumi didn't answer as she glared at Reiji while her fist was still caught. She could tell that he wasn't lying when he said that Kurosaki would be allying with them. Although, she could also see that he's deliberately leaving out details about whatever this "objective" is. Seeing this and the fact that Reiji is willing to ally with a guy like that just made her really angry which is what she let out right now.

Reiji had a neutral expression on his face before he pushed Masumi's hand away, "...You're blinded by anger. If you're going to react like that, do it in a proper way."

Masumi narrowed his eyes before she pointed at him, "Fine! Then, I'll take you down in a duel!" Reiji raised an eyebrow in amusement from hearing the challenge.

Yaiba narrowed his eyes, "What?" He put down his kendo as he stared at Masumi in shock and confusion. Hokuto walked closer next to Masumi as he had a look of disbelief on his face, "Hey, are you crazy?! Do you know who you're challenging?" He was asking that question mainly because of who Reiji is and the skills they each saw displayed by him during his duel with Yuya.

Masumi turned to Hokuto and pushed him back, "Shut up! I don't care if he is the president of LDS! I'm not going to standby and watch all of this happen without a fight!" Masumi moved her eyes to Reiji as she pointed at him, "Now, duel me, Reiji!"

Reiji stared at her for a few seconds before he adjusted his glasses, "It seems that you have more of an attachment to Marco than any other student of his. I wonder why that is." Masumi narrowed her eyes from hearing that before Reiji continued, "Well, we might find out soon. I have no objections to dueling you. I accept your challenge."

* * *

After a few minutes, Reiji and the three LDS students moved to a nearby arena where there was nobody else around. Reiji and Masumi were standing facing away from each other by a few feet while Yaiba and Hokuto were in the stands nearby.

Just as he was getting his duel disk, Reiji looked at Masumi curiosity, "Tell me something. You're the daughter of Makoto Kotsu, correct?"

Masumi narrowed her eyes, "Yes. Why does that matter?" She wondered where that question came from and what her father has anything to do with this.

Reiji closed his eyes and smirked, "Just wanted to confirm something." Reiji then looked at Masumi in curiosity, " _I believe some things will be revealed in this duel._ " He put on his duel disk, "If you want to change how I do things, then prove it. Show me how strong your conviction is!"

Masumi gritted her teeth as she looked at Reiji. She wasn't a fool. Even if she didn't watch his duel with Yuya, she could see the talent and skill he has just by looking at him. Regardless of how strong he is, she isn't one to back down from a challenge. She will fight for what she believes in and that's all that matters. She didn't say anything as she brought out her duel disk and put it on her arm.

Hokuto looked at Yaiba with confusion on his face, "Hey, do you Masumi has a chance of beating someone like Reiji?"

Yaiba kept his gaze on both Reiji and Masumi, "...If you want me to be honest, no I don't. But let's just see what happens." He doesn't really feel that Masumi's odds of winning are in her favor but he's willing to be surprised.

Reiji smiled as he held out a hand toward Masumi, "By the way, I hope you don't mind but I've prepared something different for how our duel will be played." He then pressed a button on his duel disk.

Masumi frowned, "What do you mean?" Before she could question further, her duel disk screen starting blinking for some reason which made her raise her arm to look at it. An image appeared on the screen as it announced what it said: " **MODE CHANGE: MASTER DUEL**."

Masumi was now confused as she raised her head toward Reiji, "What is this?" She doesn't know what this "Master Duel" is supposed to be.

Reiji then looked a little serious as he held out a hand, "It is a new feature that I was planning to introduce later in the Maiami Championship. In this new mode change, duelists can have 8000 life instead of 4000." Masumi's eyes widened from hearing that as Reiji continued, "I was planning on testing this new feature in other practice duels but I saw an opportunity to use it here. Of course, you're free to not accept it right now but it is just having more life points."

Masumi looked down at her duel disk as she thought about it. From what she heard, it is just a change in life points and nothing else. She realizes that maybe it gives Reiji more of an advantage due to his "Contract" cards but she's not going to back down now. Besides, if this is being introduced later, then she might as well try it out and see what happens. It didn't matter if there were more life points, she's not stopping this duel for anything. Masumi raised her head toward Reiji with determination in her eyes, "Fine! I accept!" Reiji smiled a little before his expression turned neutral again as he activated his duel disk.

Hokuto was surprised by this, "Wait, so that means both duelists will start with 8000 life instead of 4000?"

Yaiba smirked a little in intrigue, "Heh, this just got more interesting."

Both Reiji and Masumi stared each other down, unwavering in their expressions before they shouted out in readiness.

 **[DUEL!]**

 **REIJI LP: 8000  
** **MASUMI LP: 8000**

Masumi placed her fingers on her deck, "I'll take the first move! Draw!" She drew her card before she placed it in her hand and took out another, "I activate the Magic Card: Gem-Knight Fusion! With this card, I can Fusion Summon a "Gem-Knight" monster using monsters in my hand or field as Fusion Material!"

"The monsters I'll use are Gem-Knight Saphire and Gem-Knight Larim in my hand!" Both monsters were absorbed into a colorful vortex as Masumi chanted, "Beautiful sapphire and ancient gems of the sea! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance! Fusion Summon! Appear, healer of the gem-filled seas! Gem-Knight Aquamarine (ATK: 1400, **DEF: 2600** , LV: 6)!" Masumi summoned an aqua-blue knight wearing a purple cape and half of a helmet on its head. It was carrying a shield on its right arm with a diamond-like dagger sticking out of it.

She then showed another card, "Then, I Normal Summon Gem-Knight Ammol (ATK: 1200, **DEF: 1500** , LV: 3)!" A rainbow-colored knight appeared on the field in a defensive stance. It had yellow, green, blue, red, and orange all around the armor as it appeared like a rainbow. It also wielded a spear in its left hand and a shield in the other one.

"I end my turn with that," said Masumi.

Reiji had a hand under his chin as he watched Masumi's moves. He had an expression of both curiosity and observation on his face. He didn't say anything as he watched Masumi end her turn before he looked at his deck, "My turn, draw."

He drew his card before he picked up another one from his hand, "First, I'll start with this. I activate the Continuous Magic: Contract with the Ritual Djinns." A face-up magic card appeared next to Reiji, "This card inflicts 1000 damage to me during my Standby Phase. In addition, once per turn, I can Ritual Summon any Fiend-type monster from my hand or Deck by tributing monsters in my hand or field." He held out two monsters from his hand, "I tribute the Level 4 D/D Cerberus and D/D Baphomet!" Both monsters were on the field before a temple-like structure appeared behind Reiji. They then turned into blue flames which surrounded the temple and the door to it opened, making a monster appear.

"Heavenly king sent by the Gods! Come down to this earth and lay down your judgement upon your reign! Ritual Summon! Be born! Level 8! D/D/D Radiant King Cyrus ( **ATK: 2900** , DEF: 2200, LV: 8)!" Cyrus slashed through the air with his spear and it appeared from the doorway.

Reiji looked calm as he held out another monster, "Next, I Normal Summon, the Tuner monster, D/D Night Howling ( **ATK: 300** , DEF: 600, LV: 3)!" Night Howling appeared as it howled throughout the arena.

"When Night Howling is Normal Summoned, I can target a "D/D" monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it with its ATK and DEF reduced to 0. Be reborn, D/D Cerberus ( **ATK: 1800** → **0** , DEF: 600→0, LV: 4, PS: 6)!" Cerberus appeared from the portal in the ground with its strength sapped.

Masumi narrowed her eyes, " _Here it comes."_ She knows what's coming after since she saw him do it before with Yuya. She'll just have to brace herself for what's about to happen next.

Reiji held out his hand towards his monsters, "I tune my Level 3 Night Howling with my Level 4 Cerberus ( **3 + 4 = 7** )!" Night Howling transformed into three green energy rings that surrounded Cerberus as it disappeared as well.

"Howls that tear through the night with the swiftness of a gale give birth to a new king! Synchro Summon! Be born! Level 7! D/D/D Gust King Alexander ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2000, LV: 7)!" Alexander then appeared next to Cyrus.

"Now, Radiant King Cyrus's monster effect activates! Once per turn, when a "D/D" monster is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "D/D" monster from my Deck!" Cyrus stabbed the ground below him with his spear which made a portal open up, "So, arise! D/D Magical Savant Kepler (ATK: 0, **DEF: 0** , LV: 1, PS: 10)!" The monster that Reiji used as a Pendulum Scale before was now brought out next to Cyrus. It appeared to be a monument-like machine with different parts attached to it as it was mostly blue as well.

"When Kepler is Normal or Special Summoned, I can activate one of its two effects. I choose the second one where I add a "Contract" card from my Deck to my hand." Reiji took a card from his deck and added it to his hand before he pointed at Alexander, "Additionally, Gust King Alexander's effect activates! When another "D/D" is Normal or Special Summoned, once per turn, I can target a Level 4 or lower "D/D" monster from my Graveyard and Special Summon it! Be reborn, D/D Baphomet ( **ATK: 1400** , DEF: 1800, LV: 4)!" Alexander held his sword high up which made Baphomet appear next to it.

"I activate Baphomet's effect. Once per turn, I can target a "D/D" monster that has a Level and declare a Level from 1 to 8. I select Kepler and Level 4 so now Kepler's Level becomes 4 for the rest of the turn.

 **D/D Magical Savant Kepler** ( **LV: 1** → **4** )

Reiji raised his hand, "I overlay my Level 4 Baphomet and Kepler!" Both monsters turned into dark energy that went into a portal.

"In order to subjugate all that resides within this world, descend now onto the peak of the world! Xyz Summon! Be born! Rank 4! D/D/D Wave King Caesar ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1200, RNK: 4, OVU: 2)!" Caesar finally appeared on the field as he swung his sword around.

Masumi frowned, "This time it's Ritual, Synchro and Xyz all in one turn…"

Reiji turned to Masumi, "Battle. I attack Gem-Knight Ammol with Wave King Caesar!" Caesar lunged forward with his sword as the orbs around it were glowing and slashed through Ammol, destroying the monster.

Masumi shielded herself before she held out her hand, "Gem-Knight Ammol's effect activates! When this card is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Gem-Knight" from my Deck! I summon Gem-Knight Chrysoberyl (ATK: 1700, **DEF: 1400** , LV: 4)!" From the explosion came out a greenish-yellow knight with a blue cape and was wearing metal gauntlets with gems inserted on the back of them.

Reiji adjusted his glasses before he looked Alexander, "In that case, I'll have Alexander attack Chrysoberyl!" Alexander gathered wind energy in his sword before he slashed with it and created a vacuum wave that destroyed Chrysoberyl.

"Radiant King Cyrus attacks Gem-Knight Aquamarine!" Cyrus threw his spear toward Aquamarine and pierced through the monster, destroying it.

Masumi looked at Reiji, "I was hoping you would do that! Gem-Knight Aquamarine's monster effect! When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can target a card my opponent controls and return it to the hand! So begone, Cyrus!" Cyrus was removed from the field and Reiji just calmly returned it to his hand.

"Hmm, interesting. I set a card and end my turn." said Reiji as he placed a card in his duel disk in a casual manner.

Hokuto watched on in wonder, "At least Masumi was able to withstand the first assault."

"Don't forget that was just Reiji's first turn." said Yaiba. "From what we've seen from him, he's still got plenty of surprises left in store."

"Hey, hey. What's going on here?" Yaiba and Hokuto turned to see Shingo walking through the doorway, into the stands with a curious expression on his face.

"Sawatari..." said Hokuto as he was a little surprised to see him of all people here.

Yaiba narrowed his eyes, "Why are you here?" They are sorta acquainted with Sawatari since they've had a couple classes with him but they aren't exactly friends either so they don't know how else to respond to him.

An angry tick mark appeared on Shingo's forehead as he was a little annoyed, "Well, that's a fine way to say hello!" He had a feeling he wasn't welcomed as he isn't exactly friendly with anyone here but is choosing to ignore it. He then stopped in front of them, "I was looking for Reiji Akaba when I heard noise from down the hallway and got curious. What's going on?" He said that curiosity as he wondered what was the racket.

"Well, uh...see for yourself." Hokuto said that with hesitation in his voice as he pointed towards where the duel was.

Shingo raised an eyebrow before he turned to where Hokuto was pointing to see what it was about. Then, to his shock, he saw what appeared to be a duel happening right now in the arena but what was more shocking to him was who was dueling. Shingo couldn't hide the shock on his face, "Is that...Reiji and Masumi?! Why is she dueling Reiji?!"

"Well…" said Hokuto as he then explained the situation of how Masumi got into a duel into a duel with Reiji.

When Hokuto was done, Shingo turned back to the duel with a look of bewilderment on his face, "So, that's why she challenged Reiji? Is she an idiot?" He could understand her being upset with working with someone who made her teacher disappear but to actually have the gall to challenge Reiji seems idiotic to him considering how strong he is.

Yaiba sighed, "More like being reckless if you ask me." Yaiba turned to Shingo, "Now, are you going to sit and watch or leave?" He didn't really care either way but maybe it might be better for Sawatari to stay and watch.

Shingo smirked in response, "Fine. This could be entertaining." He then sat down to watch the rest of the duel. He was going to talk to Reiji but it might be fun seeing Masumi try to beat someone like Reiji.

Even though Masumi heard Shingo cause of his yelling, she ignored him as she drew a card, "It's my turn, I draw!"

"I activate Gem-Knight Larim's effect from my Graveyard!" said Masumi. "By banishing this card, I can Special Summon another "Gem-Knight" from my Graveyard! Return, Chrysoberyl ( **ATK: 1700** )!" Larim was banished before Chrysoberyl returned to Masumi's side.

Masumi took a card from her hand and held it out, "I Normal Summon Crystal Rose ( **ATK: 500** , DEF: 500, LV: 2)!" A rose flower made out of crystals sprouted out from beneath the ground.

"I activate Crystal Rose's monster effect! Once per turn, I can send a "Gem-Knight" monster from my hand or Deck to the Graveyard and this card's name becomes that monster's until the End Phase!" Masumi took out a monster from her Deck and showed it, "I send Gem-Knight Ganet to the Graveyard so Crystal Rose is treated as Gem-Knight Ganet." As Masumi sent the monster to the Graveyard, Crystal Rose glowed dark red as it changed names.

 **Crystal Rose** → **Gem-Knight Ganet**

"I activate the Magic Card: Particle Fusion! With this card, I send monsters on my side of the field to the Graveyard that are listed as Fusion Material on a "Gem-Knight" Fusion Monster and then I Special Summon that Fusion Monster to my field!" Chrysoberyl and Crystal Rose broke into tiny gem pieces before they scattered around all into a vortex that was absorbing the energy of the gems.

"Crystal flower that inherited the gems of fire, prism knight formed from magma! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance! Fusion Summon! Appear, spiritual knight of freedom! Gem-Knight Sugil ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 2200, LV: 7)!" Masumi summoned a dark-purple knight that had a chainmail hauberk underneath the armor, a spartan helmet, and it held a longbow in his hands.

Masumi took out Particle Fusion from her duel disk, "Then, Particle Fusion's other effect activates! It banishes itself from the Graveyard and I target a "Gem-Knight" that was used as Fusion Material in my Graveyard. I choose Gem-Knight Chrysoberyl so Sugil gains ATK equal to Chrysoberyl's until the End Phase!" A silhouette of Chrysoberyl appeared temporarily behind Sugil as it granted the knight more power.

 **Gem-Knight Sugil** ( **ATK: 2500** → **4200** )

"I activate Chrysoberyl's effect! When this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can add a "Gem-Knight" monster from my Deck to my hand." Masumi took a card from her deck and added it to her hand thanks to her monster's effect.

"It wasn't a bad move to power up your monster but you'll need more than that to break through my defenses." said Reiji.

Masumi gritted her teeth before she held out her hand, "Don't be so sure! I'll still have more to show you! I banish Chrysoberyl from my Graveyard in order to add Gem-Knight Fusion back to my hand!" Chrysoberyl was banished before Masumi added the magic card back from her Graveyard to her hand.

"Chrysoberyl's other effect activates! When this card is banished, I can add a "Gem-" card from my Graveyard to my hand!" She then added Ganet back to her hand.

"I activate the Magic Card: Gem-Knight Fusion again and fuse Ganet and Lazuli in my hand!" A red knight of fire and a young brown knight with braids in her hair, rocks on the design and green eyes went into the colorful vortex.

"Gemstones of the burning flames, green stones that hide mysterious power! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a new dazzling radiance! Fusion Summon! Appear, crystal knight of balance! Gem-Knight Tanzan ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 2000, LV: 6)!" The blue-violet knight that wielded a halberd appeared from the vortex.

"Gem-Knight Lazuli's effect activates. When she is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can target a Normal Monster in my Graveyard and add it to my hand." With this effect, Masumi added Saphire back to her hand.

Masumi narrowed her eyes before she pointed at Reiji, "Battle! Gem-Knight Sugil attacks Gust King Alexander!" Sugil readied his bow and took out an arrow from his quiver before he aimed it towards Alexander.

However, Reiji still looked calm as he narrowed his eyes as well, "As I've said, you'll need more than that to penetrate my defenses. Especially if you're so blinded by anger that you're heading into an obvious trap." He then pressed a button, "I activate the Continuous Trap: Contract with the Valkyrie! Once per turn, I send a "D/D" or "Contract" card from my hand to the Graveyard and then target a card on the field and destroy it!"

Masumi's eyes widened in shock as Reiji showed a monster in his hand, "I send D/D Pandora from my hand to the Graveyard in order to destroy Gem-Knight Sugil." Reiji sent the card to the Graveyard before white feathers swirled up into a storm and surrounded Sugil as it consumed the knight entirely.

Masumi gritted her teeth before she said, "But I still have Tanzan to attack…!"

"Contract with the Valkyrie's other effect! During my opponent's turn, all Fiend-type monsters on my field gain 1000 ATK!" interrupted Reiji.

 **D/D/D Gust King Alexander** ( **ATK: 2500** → **3500** )  
 **D/D/D Wave King Caesar** ( **ATK: 2400** → **3400** )

"...I...I end my turn." Masumi said that with hesitation as she looked distraught from being stopped so easily.

Reiji stared at her Masumi for a few seconds as if he was contemplating something before he asked, "...Why are you being so impatient?"

"What?" said Masumi as she raised her head back up in confusion.

Reiji adjusted his glasses, "I wasn't sure at first back then but when I saw your duel with Kurosaki, I noticed some desperation in your dueling just as you're doing now. It is almost as though you either want to end this as quickly as possible…" Reiji then narrowed his eyes, "...or that you act like you lost everything important to you." When he first observed Masumi dueling Kurosaki, it seemed like she wasn't thinking straight and was very desperate to defeat Kurosaki. While he didn't have an idea why back then, he might have one now which he is trying to confirm.

As Yaiba and Hokuto were confused by what Reiji meant by that as well as Shingo raising an eyebrow, Masumi's eyes widened in shock from what she heard before she frowned with a hint of anger in her voice, "Don't act like you know me. You don't have any idea how I feel."

"I know as much as I need to and from what I've learned," said Reiji as he held out a hand. "Masumi Kotsu, the daughter of Makoto Kotsu, who is a renowned jeweler that has a partnership with Leo Corporation. I've met with him a few times and he's told me a bit about you." Back when they were receiving new students for LDS, Makoto met up with Reiji to discuss business dealings while also recommending his daughter for the school so he's known about her somewhat for awhile.

As Masumi's eyes widened a little, almost like she is shocked, before Reiji continued, "He has said that you're a somewhat secluded, yet proud individual. And I can testify this in recent reports I've read from various activities and hobbies in the student database." There is usually a report every now and then every week that is turned into the systems of LDS that detail various activities, behaviors, and grades of every student in LDS as the school wanted to be in the best shape that is possible so it needs to collect data on various things. Reiji closed his eyes, "As teachers have reported, you were at first very distant and private as you didn't really talk to a lot of students and teachers. You excelled well in terms of grades but didn't really communicate much with other people." Reiji then opened his eyes to look at Masumi in seriousness, "Your father has mentioned that your relationship with him isn't exactly...close." Masumi's eyes widened even more and let out an inside gasp as she seemed to be a little scared of what Reiji is saying for some reason.

"When I look at you, I get the feeling of somebody that has felt like she lost everything. It didn't make sense at the time since you still have your father, but now I see the reason you're so desperate to avenge Marco is..." said Reiji.

"Shut up!" interrupted Masumi as her eyes trembled a little. Yaiba, Hokuto, and Shingo were caught off guard by her yelling it seemed like Reiji was getting into something really personal with her.

Masumi threw out her arm in anger as she glared at Reiji, "What gives you the right to judge my personal life? I don't need anybody else seeing how I feel." She had her arm towards the stands were Yaiba, Hokuto, and Shingo were as she said that last part.

"I'm not judging. I am merely making an observation based on data and personal reports I've seen regarding your behavior." said Reiji as he then raised an eyebrow and continued, "I didn't expect this. I would assume you would be fine with those two knowing your personal life. Am I safe to assume you don't consider them your friends?" He was referring to Hokuto and Yaiba. He sees Sawatari in the stands but he's not involved with Masumi much.

There was just silence at first as nobody said anything before, after a few seconds, Masumi turned her head to the side and frowned sadly, not wanting to look anybody at the moment.

Hokuto looked a little shocked, "Is that true, Masumi? You still don't consider us friends?" He would think that she at least be more friendly with them by now but to hear she still doesn't is quite shocking to him. Yaiba narrowed his eyes and didn't say anything as he had a feeling about how Masumi was feeling toward them. Shingo simply blinked his eyes in confusion as he was a little lost and didn't know what to make of this. Masumi didn't say anything in response as she still frowned.

Reiji, however, didn't seem fazed as he had his eyes closed, "Well, we can worry about that in a little bit. I believe it is time I continue with my turn." Reiji drew his card, "Draw!" Since it was no longer Masumi's turn, the effect of Valkyrie wears off at the moment.

 **D/D/D Gust King Alexander** ( **ATK: 3500** → **2500** )  
 **D/D/D Wave King Caesar** ( **ATK: 3400** → **2400** )

"The effects of my Contract cards activates," said Reiji. "During each of my Standby Phase, I take 1000 damage for each of them." He had two on his field as there were sparks flying throughout his body momentarily as he grunted.

 **REIJI LP: 8000** → **6000**

Reiji pointed at his card, "I activate the effect of Contract with the Ritual Djinns! I tribute monsters in my hand or field to summon a Fiend-type Ritual Monster from my hand or Deck. I release the Level 8 Cyrus in my hand." Reiji showed Cyrus as it appeared temporarily in front of the temple. It turned into blue flames that surrounded the temple and made the door open, allowing another monster to appear.

"When an insight reaches the mind of an emperor, guide the world with your wisdom as it leads to a new monarch! Ritual Summon! Be born! Level 7! D/D/D Enlightenment King Napoleon ( **ATK: 2600** , DEF: 1900, LV: 7)!" Appearing from the temple door, it was a demonic, dark-blue monster that has purple and green flames for hair, wore a blue coat with a cuirass armor plate that covered its torso, golden braces around the wrists, shoulders and neck, black metal boots, along with brown leather gauntlets with metal plating on the back of them. It resembled an emperor as it roared yelled while holding a fist high in the air like a victory cry.

Masumi took a step back in surprise, " _A new D/D/D monster…"_ She had no idea what this one does as she had never seen this one before.

"When Napoleon is successfully Ritual Summoned, I'm allowed to add a "Contract" card from my Deck to my hand." Reiji took a card from his Deck and added it to his hand before he then activated it, "I activate the Continuous Magic: Deceitful Contract with the War Deity. Once per turn, during the Main Phase, I can target a "D/D" monster and another monster my opponent controls. Until the end of the Battle Phase, my monster gains 1000 ATK while my opponent's monster loses 1000 ATK." Reiji pointed at Masumi, "I select Caesar and Gem-Knight Tanzan!"

 **D/D/D Wave King Caesar** ( **ATK: 2400** → **3400** )  
 **Gem-Knight Tanzan** ( **ATK: 2600** → **1600** )

"Battle! I attack Tanzan with Wave King Caesar!" said Reiji as Caesar lunged forward and slashed right through the knight which destroyed it as Masumi was pushed back a little from the blast.

 **MASUMI LP: 8000** → **6200**

Masumi raised her head, "When Tanzan is destroyed, I can target and add up to 2 of my banished "Gem-" cards to my hand." Thanks to Tanzan's effect, Masumi added Chrysoberyl and Larim back to her hand.

Reiji pointed at Masumi, "Gust King Alexander attacks you directly!" Alexander gathered wind energy in his sword and flew towards Masumi. He then swung the sword and slashed right at her which made her wince in pain.

 **MASUMI LP: 6200** → **3700**

"Finally, Napoleon attacks you directly!" Napoleon placed his hands together and created a sphere of fire before he launched it towards Masumi. It hit the ground right next to her which made her fly backwards as she yelled in distress. She then landed on her back with a thud.

 **MASUMI LP: 3700** → **1100**

"Masumi!" shouted Hokuto as he looked a little concerned for her.

Yaiba sighed as he had his eyes closed, "I had a feeling this would happen. Reiji isn't a pushover."

Shingo frowned as he shrugged his shoulders, "Well, what did she expect? It's her own fault for challenging him in the first place."

Masumi slammed her hand on the floor as she slowly picked herself back up, "Shut your damn mouth, Sawatari." She said that with irritation in her voice as she didn't need his opinion. Shingo was silently fuming in the background due to hearing the rude comment.

She then fully stood back up to face Reiji. Reiji waited until Masumi got back before he said, "Since it is the end of the Battle Phase, the effect of Deceitful Contract with the War Deity wears off as well."

 **D/D/D Wave King Caesar** ( **ATK: 3400** → **2400** )

"I set a card and end my turn," said Reiji as he placed a card face-down.

Masumi glared at Reiji, "You say that I act like I have nothing to lose? You don't know how I feel! I'll show you how serious I am when I do have nothing to lose!" Reiji just narrowed his eyes in response.

"My turn, draw!' said Masumi as she drew her card. Since it was Masumi's turn now, the effect of Contract with the Valkyrie kicks in as well.

 **D/D/D Gust King Alexander** ( **ATK: 2500** → **3500** )  
 **D/D/D Wave King Caesar** ( **ATK: 2400** → **3400** )  
 **D/D/D Enlightenment King Napoleon** ( **ATK: 2600** → **3600** )

"I Normal Summon Gem-Knight Jasper ( **ATK: 1100** , DEF: 1700, LV: 3)!" A red knight with various polka-dotted orange and yellow spots on the armor appeared in front of Masumi with its standard sword and shield.

Masumi held out her hand, "Gem-Knight Jasper's effect activates! When this card is successfully summoned, I can add a "Brilliant" Magic or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand." As soon as she said that, she added another card to her hand.

"I banish Lazuli in order to add Gem-Knight Fusion back to my hand!" said Masumi as she banished Lazuli and added the magic card back to her hand.

"Next, I activate Crystal Rose's effect in my Graveyard! Once per turn, by banishing a Fusion Monster from my Graveyard, I can summon Crystal Rose ( **DEF: 500** ) back in Defense Position!" Aquamarine was banished before Crystal Rose sprouted from the ground and appeared back in front of her.

"I activate Crystal Rose's effect," said Masumi. "I send a "Gem-Knight" from my hand or Deck to the Graveyard and it is treated as that monster until the End Phase." Masumi showed Gem-Knight Lapis from her Deck before she sent it to the Graveyard and Crystal Rose glowed brownish.

 **Crystal Rose** → **Gem-Knight Lapis**

Masumi held out a card, "I activate the Magic Card: Gem-Knight Fusion! I fuse Jasper and Crystal Rose that's treated as Lapis!" Both Jasper and Crystal Rose were sucked into the colorful vortex.

"Ground warrior of nurture, crystal flower of spiritual inheritance! Hidden in the mysterious power, become light and appear! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 5! Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli ( **ATK: 2400** , DEF: 1000, LV: 5)!" Masumi summoned the female knight with blue hair and robe that had lapis and lazuli gems on the design.

Masumi took out Jasper from her Graveyard and held it up, "I banish Jasper from my Graveyard in order to add Gem-Fusion Fusion to my hand again." She pocketed Jasper before she added Gem-Knight Fusion to her hand. "And now, Gem-Knight Jasper's other effect activates! When this card is banished, I can target a face-up card on the field and negate its effects until the end of this turn." She chose Contract with the Valkyrie as the card was then crystallized and frozen in place.

 **D/D/D Gust King Alexander** ( **ATK: 3500** → **2500** )  
 **D/D/D Wave King Caesar** ( **ATK: 3400** → **2400** )  
 **D/D/D Enlightenment King Napoleon** ( **ATK: 3600** → **2600** )

"I activate Gem-Knight Fusion again and fuse Saphire, Larim, and Chrysoberyl in my hand," said Masumi as she held out three monsters from her hand. All three monsters were absorbed into the colorful vortex.

"Beautiful sapphire and ancient gems of seas! Combine together with the prism crystal of magma to create a dazzling new form! Fusion Summon! Appear, the supreme radiance that illuminates everything! Level 9! Gem-Knight Master Dia ( **ATK: 2900** , DEF: 2500, LV: 9)!" The large warrior in white gem armor appeared on Masumi's field.

"Alright! Masumi's ace monster appeared!" cheered Hokuto.

Yaiba narrowed his eyes, "But, will that be enough though?"

Masumi turned her head towards her deck, "Chrysoberyl's effect activates which means I add a "Gem-Knight" monster from my Deck to my hand." Masumi added Gem-Knight Crysta to her hand as a result. "Now, Gem-Knight Master Dia's effect! This card gains 100 ATK for each "Gem-" monster in my Graveyard!" There are currently 8 right now in her Graveyard, which means the result is 800.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 2900** → **3700** )

Masumi took out Chrysoberyl from her Graveyard, "I banish Chrysoberyl from my Graveyard in order to add Gem-Knight Fusion back to my hand. Then, Chrysoberyl's other effect activates and I add Gem-Knight Ganet back to my hand as well." She added both the magic and monster card to her hand from her graveyard.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 3700** → **3500** )

"I activate the Magic Card: Gem-Knight Fusion one more time," said Masumi. "I fuse Gem-Knight Crysta and Ganet in my hand in order to Fusion Summon!"

"Gemstones of the burning flames, mighty knight of crystal! In a whirlpool of light, combine to bring forth a dazzling new radiance! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Gem-Knight Rubyz ( **ATK: 2500** , DEF: 1300, LV: 6)!" The dark-red knight that wielded a spear appeared next to Masumi's other two fusion monsters.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 3500** → **3700** )

"Impressive," said Reiji. "It is no wonder you are an ace of the Fusion Course. To be able to summon three Fusion Monsters in one turn is no small feat."

"...It is thanks to Professor Marco that I've learned how to Fusion Summon," said Masumi as she then held up a fist. "Because of him, I owe him everything for teaching me how to be a better duelist!"

Reiji narrowed his eyes, "Oh? Is that so?" He held a hand under his chin, "Is it really for that reason or something else? Maybe because...Marco was the first one to actually praise you?" He was intentionally implying that he knew the real reason as to why Masumi was so desperate to rescue Marco.

Masumi's eyes widened in shock before she got angry and gritted her teeth, "I banish Larim from my Graveyard to activate its effect! I summon Gem-Knight Crysta ( **ATK: 2450** , DEF: 1950, LV: 7) from my Graveyard!" Larim was banished and a large silver knight, with blue clear crystals on the shoulders, chest, and thighs on the design, appeared on her side of the field.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 3700** → **3500** )

Masumi pointed at Reiji, "I now activate Lapis Lazuli's monster effect!" She took out _Gem-Knight Emeral_ from her Deck and showed it, "By sending a "Gem-Knight" from my Deck or Extra Deck to the Graveyard, you take 500 points of damage for every Special Summoned monster on the field! There are 7 monsters that are Special Summoned so you take 3500 damage!" She sent Emeral to the Graveyard before Lapis Lazuli gathered crystal energy in her hands and launched it towards Reiji.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 3500** → **3600** )

However, Reiji held up a card, "I activate the effect of D/D Kelpie in my hand. When I'm about to take damage, I can send this card from my hand to the Graveyard and gain LP equal to that amount instead." A silhouette of a fiendish, green horse spirit appeared on the field. It has a flowing mane made out of kelp, red eyes, and no hindlegs as its back is mainly a flowing tail. The horse spirit neighed as it absorbed the blast into its mouth and then had a green aura flowing throughout its body that was transferred straight to Reiji.

 **REIJI LP: 6000** → **9500**

Masumi clicked her tongue in annoyance before she held out her hand, "But I activate Gem-Knight Rubyz' monster effect! I tribute a face-up "Gem-" monster on my field and this card gains ATK equal to the tributed monster's ATK until the End Phase!" Rubyz pointed his spear and Crysta as that monster was sacrificed, granting him Crysta's strength.

 **Gem-Knight Rubyz (ATK: 2500** → **4950)  
** **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 3600** → **3700** )

"Now, I activate Master Dia's monster effect," said Masumi. "Once per turn, it can banish one Level 7 or lower "Gem-Knight" Fusion Monster from my Graveyard and it gains its effects until the End Phase! I banish Sugil from my Graveyard!" Sugil was banished as Master Dia gained its power.

 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** → **Gem-Knight Sugil** ( **ATK: 3700** → **3600** )

Masumi's eyes widened in seriousness before she pointed at Reiji, "Battle! Lapis Lazuli attacks Wave King Caesar!" Lapis Lazuli flew towards Caesar.

"Both Caesar and Lapis Lazuli have the same ATK," said Reiji. "Are you planning on mutual destruction?"

Masumi showed a monster in her hand, "As if! I activate the effect of Gem-Squire in my hand!" A silhouette of a humanoid gem monster in light brown tunic appeared next Masumi. "During the Damage Step, when a "Gem-Knight" monster I control battles, I can send this card from my hand to the Graveyard and my monster gains ATK equal to half of the monster it is battling!" Masumi sent the card to the graveyard as Lazuli had gem armor around her body now.

 **Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli** ( **ATK: 2400** → **3600** )  
 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 3700** → **3800** )

"But now I activate Caesar's effect by using an Overlay Unit!" said Reiji as one of Caesar's Overlay Units vanished.

 **D/D/D Wave King Caesar** ( **OVU: 2** → **1** )

Caesar attempted to intercept by swinging his sword but Lapis jumped and dodged the attack. Lapis then created a crystal ball in her hand and launched it directly at Caesar, destroying it which made Reiji move his arm in front of his face to protect himself.

 **REIJI LP: 9500** → **8300**

Reiji moved his arm back, "The effect of Caesar activates. When it is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can add a "Contract" card from my Deck to my hand." Because of his monster, Reiji was able to add a card to his hand.

 **Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli** ( **ATK: 3600** → **2400** )

"Master Dia, attack Napoleon!" Master Dia striked at Napoleon, who proceeded to fight back with his fists before he was overpowered and destroyed.

"Unfortunately, due to Sugil's effect, neither one of us takes damage from battles involving it," said Masumi. "But when it destroys a monster by battle, it deals you damage equal to that monster's original ATK!" Master Dia pointed his sword at Reiji and shot a blast from it which hit Reiji directly.

 **REIJI LP: 8300** → **5700**

"Then, I'll have Rubyz attack Alexander!" Rubyz lunged forward with its spear and stabbed Alexander which destroyed it.

 **REIJI LP: 5700** → **3250**

Once the explosion cleared, Reiji looked at Masumi, "Since it is the end of the Battle Phase, Caesar's effect activates! It Special Summons all of my monsters that were destroyed this turn!" With that said, Napoleon, Caesar, and Alexander all returned to the field.

Masumi narrowed her eyes, " _By next turn, he'll take 3000 damage from Caesar's effect."_ She looked a card in her hand, " _Just in case."_ She placed a card in her duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." She needed to win this or else she doesn't what she'll do from then on.

 **Gem-Knight Rubyz (ATK: 4950** → **2500)  
** **Gem-Knight Sugil** → **Gem-Knight Master Dia**

Reiji stared at Masumi for a few seconds, as if he were pondering something, before he closed his eyes, "It is a bit disappointing." Masumi was surprised and confused by that before he continued, "You clearly have the skills of a good duelist but you're lacking in judgement and quite frankly overestimating your abilities because of your… _personal issues_." He emphasized that last thing so Masumi would get the picture clearer.

Masumi gritted her teeth as she raised her fist, "Shut up! You have the nerve to judge me but what about you? You're overlooking what that guy has done to a lot of people! And you expect me to get behind that?!"

"I will admit that I am willing to overlook what Kurosaki has done," said Reiji. "But it is for the better as there is a greater threat than Kurosaki himself."

"Yeah? Well, I don't care!" yelled Masumi as she threw out an arm in retaliation. "All I care about is bringing Professor Marco back safe! That's all!"

"...That is not possible right now," said Reiji in an oddly cold tone. "As of right now, you cannot hope to help Marco."

Masumi's eyes widened in shock, "What do you mean?" She was now very confused as to why he seemed so serious about it. Was it worse than she thought?

Reiji suddenly turned his attention to the others in the stands, "What about you two?" He was referring to what Yaiba and Hokuto think about teaming with Kurosaki. Shingo wasn't mentioned as he wasn't apart of this which made him face faulted.

Hokuto was caught off guard before he scratched his head, "Oh, well…" He didn't really know what to think of the situation. He doesn't like the fact of teaming with Kurosaki but he's just more confused as to why this was happening.

Yaiba narrowed his eyes, "...I don't know if I'm willing to ally with that guy either but you're being very vague about something "bigger" than Kurosaki. Why don't you show us what, then?" If there really was a greater problem than what Kurosaki did, then he wanted some answers.

Reiji paused for a moment before he spoke, "...Very well." He then reached into his pocket to grab something and took out a tablet. He pushed some buttons displayed on it before he stopped at a certain image. Reiji raised his head back up to look at everyone, "You all wanted to know what happened to the missing LDS members. Here it is." He then turned his tablet around to show everyone what was on it.

Masumi, Hokuto, Yaiba and Shingo all took a good look at what was on the tablet and, to their shock and confusion, they saw what looked like Duel Monsters cards with actual people in the images. The people in the images mostly have a look of horror or shock on their faces. After taking a closer look, they actually recognize a lot of them being members of the elite unit and employees of LDS. Yaiba and Hokuto also recognize one of them being that officer they met before when they were investigating the incidents.

"What...is this?" said Hokuto as he couldn't hide the shock in his voice. He wondered if those were actually the missing LDS students from what Reiji was saying.

Yaiba was thinking the same thing as he narrowed his eyes, "Cards? Wait, are you saying…?"

"It is exactly what I'm saying," said Reiji. "All of the missing Leo Corporation employees somehow have been turned into actual cards." He would have preferred not to reveal this right now but he wagered this was probably the only thing he could do to convince them he was telling the truth. Now, he's betting on how they'll react right now.

"Hey, hey, you can't be serious," said Shingo as he was looking at Reiji like he was insane. "There's no way you can be turned into actual cards!"

However, Reiji still had a calm expression on his face, "I assure you. We've confirmed that these are the missing people from LDS." Shingo took a step back in shock as he didn't know what to make of that.

Masumi was quiet for most of the time as there was one card that caught her eye and she recognized that person right away. Masumi was hesitate before she spoke, "Professor Marco…" She sees him on the card as he had a look of distress on his face.

Masumi clenched her fists as she trembled a little, "How could this happen?!"

Reiji turned to Masumi, "I'm not surprised by that reaction. It is understandable." His expression then turned cold, "This is an example of what could happen to us later. That is what our enemy is capable of." Masumi took a step as she was a little unnerved by what she was hearing before Reiji finished, "If you cannot see that, you have no hope of defeating the enemy before you! Even if you've been neglected your whole life!" Masumi's eyes widened in shock as she couldn't believe what Reiji had said. The others were confused by this as they didn't know what Reiji was talking about but Shingo had a strange expression on his face as he watched.

Reiji pressed a button on his duel disk, "I activate the Trap Card: Lease Laundering! All of my "Contract" cards in my Magic and Trap Zones are destroyed! And for each one that is destroyed, I draw a card and gain 1000 LP for each card drawn!" His three face-up Contracts were all destroyed before Reiji drew three cards from his deck.

 **REIJI LP: 3250** → **6250**

Reiji placed his fingers on his Deck, "My turn, draw!"

"Due to Wave King Caesar's effect, I take 1000 damage for every monster Special Summoned by its effect," said Reiji as Caesar raised his sword up. Three bolts of lightning came down and shocked Reiji even though he was unfazed by it.

 **REIJI LP: 6250** → **3250**

"D/D/D Enlightenment King Napoleon's monster effect," said Reiji. "When I take effect damage, I can send a "D/D" monster from my Deck to the Graveyard." He sent _D/D Necro Slime_ to his Graveyard as a result.

Reiji held out his hand, "I activate the effect of D/D Necro Slime in the Graveyard! By using this card and D/D Pandora as Materials, I can banish them from the Graveyard to Fusion Summon a "D/D/D" Fusion Monster!" Masumi's eyes widened as both monsters were banished. A purple slime monster that was inside in a demonic skull and a female-like demonic monster, that wore blue robes, a red robe on top of its head and had no face or legs but instead a chest for its lower body that was shaped like a jar, went into a colorful vortex.

"Arcane swirl that takes in all forms! Engulf the crucible of disaster and give birth to a new king! Fusion Summon! Be born! Level 6! D/D/D Flame King Temujin ( **ATK: 2000** , DEF: 1500, LV: 6)!" chanted Reiji as Temujin appeared on the field.

Reiji took out a card from his hand, "I activate a second Continuous Magic: Deceitful Contract with the War Deity. With its effect, I target both Caesar and Master Dia; their ATK now changes." After he said that, Caesar had flames surrounding him which powered him up while Master Dia look weakened.

 **D/D/D Wave King Caesar** ( **ATK: 2400** → **3400** )  
 **Gem-Knight Master Dia** ( **ATK: 3800** → **2800** )

"Caesar attacks Master Dia!" Before Masumi could react, Caesar was already swinging his sword before he cut down and destroyed Master Dia as Masumi grunted a little from the pain.

 **MASUMI LP: 1100** → **500**

Masumi, however, still looked determined as she pressed a button which revealed a trap card, "I activate the Trap Card: Brilliant Spark! Since my "Gem-Knight" was destroyed, I can target it in my Graveyard and you take damage equal to its original ATK!" Master Dia's original ATK is 2900 as a silhouette of the monster appeared and slashed a shockwave of lightning towards Reiji.

Reiji looked unfazed, "It is useless! I activate Napoleon's other effect! When my opponent activates a Magic or Trap Card, I can banish the first Deceitful Contract with the War Deity from my Graveyard to negate that effect and destroy it!" Reiji's contract was banished as the shockwave disappeared and Masumi's trap was destroyed, to her shock.

"If you wondering why I didn't use this effect before, I was willing to give you a chance to prove yourself," said Reiji. "But you have failed and will pay the price! Gust King Alexander attacks Lapis Lazuli!" Alexander slashed with his sword and cut Lazuli in half which destroyed her.

 **MASUMI LP: 500** → **400**

"Napoleon attacks Gem-Knight Rubyz! Order of Revolution!" said Reiji as Napoleon flared up his fists and launched himself straight at Rubyz before it had time to react. Napoleon blasted Rubyz with his fire and engulfed it. Masumi fell to her knees as the attacks kept coming, having no choice but to watch in disheartenment.

 **MASUMI LP: 400** → **300**

Reiji pointed at Masumi, "I'll have Flame King Temujin attack you directly! It is the end!" Temujin charged forward and slashed Masumi with his sword, having no reaction to the attack as she just took it.

 **MASUMI LP: 300** → **0**

 **REIJI: WIN  
** **MASUMI: LOSE**

"Masumi!" shouted Yaiba and Hokuto as they ran out of the stands toward Masumi in worry with Shingo slowly following behind in slight worry as well.

Masumi had a look of discouragement on her face as she stared at the ground on her hands. She tried to fight back but she failed and with everything she heard, she doesn't know what to do now.

She heard Reiji walk up to her, "You're narrow-minded." He said that in a cold tone as he looked down at her. "And until you can work on moving past such feelings, you'll never grow. As both a person and as a duelist." He said all that he needed to say as he walked past her as she didn't raise her head or respond in any manner.

He then stopped as Yaiba, Hokuto and Shingo all came up as they stopped in front of Reiji. Reiji looked at them, "Now that I've shown you all an example of what we're up against, are you willing to help us?"

Shingo shifted a little awkwardly as he felt he had no part in this conversation. Meanwhile, Yaiba and Hokuto looked at each other before they looked at the ground with confliction on their faces. After a few seconds, Yaiba spoke, "We're...not sure. We need time to think about this." They both agreed that a lot happened that was overwhelming and they couldn't make a decision so they need more time to process this.

Reiji nodded, "I understand. I hope you consider during the Maiami Championship. I'm planning on revealing more at the event." They didn't respond but seem like they understood what he said. He is certain they will help in fighting against their enemy one way or another. Reiji then turned to Shingo, "Shingo Sawatari." As Shingo looked cautiously at Reiji, he said, "I want you to meet me in my office in an hour. I've something to discuss with you."

"Y-Yeah." said Shingo with uncertainty in his voice. He was planning on talking to Reiji anyhow so this is perfect.

Having nothing else to say, Reiji walked past the three of them and left the room soon after. When he was far away from them, he held two fingers toward his ear, "Keep an eye on them. Make sure they're not anywhere near Kurosaki for the moment." He was speaking to someone through an earplug.

"Yes, President." responded Nakajima through the earplug.

Meanwhile, Yaiba, Hokuto and Shingo were around Masumi as she was getting up from the ground.

Hokuto held out a hand to her in concern, "Hey, Masumi…?"

"Are you alright?" asked Yaiba. Despite what Reiji had said about what Masumi thought about them, they are still willing to be friendly toward her and does consider her a friend except for Shingo who is feeling neutral towards her right now.

Masumi soon turned around and they see she had a look of dejection on her face as she stared at the ground, "...Leave me alone." She said that disheartedly as she walked past them and out of the room, wanting to be alone right now.

Yaiba and Hokuto watched on in concern for her as they wondered what was going to happen now. Shingo, for some reason, lowered his eyes as he watched Masumi leave almost having a look of understanding on his face.

Yaiba noticed this as he turned towards him, "Sawatari? What's wrong?"

Shingo snapped out of his thoughts and scoffed, "It's nothing." He then turned around with his back facing them, "All I know is she better get her act together when the Maiami Championship comes around. See ya." He waved goodbye as he left the room, leaving Yaiba and Hokuto alone in confusion.

* * *

 **MAIAMI CITY - HARBOR (NIGHTTIME)**

A few hours have passed since then, as the nighttime covered the entire harbor in moonlight. Yuya and the girls soon arrived at the harbor as they looked around the place in curiosity.

"This is where we're supposed to meet," asked Rin as she looked around the place, recognizing it to be the same area she first arrived in Standard.

Yuzu nodded in response, "Yeah. This is the place." She confirmed it was the same place that Yuto and Lucine told her two days. Notably, she doesn't have her bracelet on her wrist with her as she left it with Mikleo as they agreed.

Yuya was curious as he felt something odd nearby, "Hmm, wonder if they're here yet." He thinks he feels somebody's presence but can't tell where at the moment. Ruri looked around the place in concern as she wondered where they were as well.

However, after a minute passed, they heard a voice, "...So, we finally meet." They all turned to where that voice was coming from. Soon after, two figures appeared from the corner of one of the buildings and it was Yuto and Lucine with neutral expression on their faces.

Yuya's eyes widened a little as he saw them, "You're…" Yuzu looked on in curiosity while Rin saw them in wonder as they're meeting them for the first time.

Ruri, however, stared at them for a moment before she had tears in her eyes and held a hand to her chest, "Yuto...Lucine…!"

* * *

 **Fanfiction OC Memo:**

 **Gem-Knight Ammol  
** (LV: 3, Rock, EARTH, ATK: 1200, DEF: 1500)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Gem-Knight" monster from your Deck.

 **Gem-Knight Chrysoberyl  
** (LV: 4, Rock, EARTH, ATK: 1700, DEF: 1400)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect: You can add 1 "Gem-Knight" monster from your Deck to your hand. If this card is banished: You can add 1 "Gem-" card from your GY to your hand.

 **Gem-Knight Sugil  
** (LV: 7, Rock, EARTH, Fusion, ATK: 2500, DEF: 2200)  
(" _Gem-Knight Ganet" + 1 "Gem-Knight" monster_ )  
 _Monster Effect:_ Must first be Fusion Summoned. Cannot be destroyed by battle, also neither player takes battle damage from attacks involving this card. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK.

 **D/D/D Enlightenment King Napoleon  
** (LV: 7, Fiend, FIRE, Ritual, ATK: 2600, DEF: 1900)  
 _Monster Effect:_ When this card is Ritual Summoned: You can add 1 "Contract" card from your Deck to your hand. If you take effect damage, you can send 1 "D/D" monster from your Deck to the GY. When your opponent activates a Magic or Trap Card: You can banish 1 "D/D" monster or 1 "Contract" Magic/Trap Card from your GY; negate that effect and, if you do, destroy it. You can only use each effect of "D/D/D Enlightenment King Napoleon" once per turn.

 **Gem-Knight Jasper  
** (LV: 3, Rock, EARTH, ATK: 1000, DEF: 1700)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Brilliant" Magic/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. If this card is banished: You can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the end of this turn.

 **D/D Kelpie  
** (LV: 3, Fiend, DARK, Tuner, ATK: 1300, DEF: 1200)  
 _Monster Effect:_ If you would take battle or effect damage: You can discard this card from your hand and, if you do, gain LP equal to that amount instead. If a "D/D" monster is Normal or Special Summoned: You can Special Summon this card from your hand or GY but banish it when it leaves the field.

 **Gem-Squire  
** (LV: 3, Rock, EARTH, ATK: 600, DEF: 1000)  
 _Monster Effect:_ During the Damage Step, in either player's turn, when a "Gem-Knight" monster you control attacks or is attacked: You can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard; that monster gains ATK equal to half of the opponent's monster's ATK until the end of the Damage Step.

 **Some OCG, TCG, Anime and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience**

* * *

 **And….I'm stopping it right there! I know it is a bit of a cliffhanger. Trust me, you'll get the full reaction and reunion in the next chapter!**

 **So, I did something different with the structure of duels. I introduced a change for the amount of LP a duelist has during the start of a duel (8000 instead of 4000). There are two reasons for this: One, it allows me to make either more compelling and/or longer duels in the future (besides making cards that will also allow that). And two, when I was looking at the effects in the TCG/OCG, I got a little curious about how the actual card game works. And I'm not joking, I literally did not know that you actually have 8000 LP instead of 4000 in a real TCG/OCG card game. (To be fair, I'm more of a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh anime than the actual competitive format.) I found out a little bit after the first few chapters when I first made them. It is also to help prevent some complications like supposed OTKs from certain card effects if you just have 4000 instead of 8000. Anyway, long story short, I kinda like the format of having 8000 instead of 4000 so this is something I'm going to be doing in future duels. Although it won't be fully implemented until the Maiami Championship starts which isn't too far now. I hope you guys don't mind this change.**

 **Though she knew she didn't stand much of a chance, Masumi fought for what she believed in. She has some personal problems going on in her life which explains her attachment to Marco (which I will explain more later).**

 **By the way, I don't know if I did a good job when it comes to explaining medical stuff so if it was not very accurate, sorry about that. I don't know this stuff too well. I did the best I could. If it's good, sweet.**

 **I'm sorry that I'm not updating frequently. I'm aware it is annoying. Trust me, I feel the same way. Going through college again. I'm still trying to see if I can find a better flow for working on these chapters while also not exhausting myself. At the same time, I want to make sure that each chapter is as good as possible without rushing them. On the bright side, now that I'm more pumped up about this story, I may be able to do more with updates. No guarantee but it is a possibility.**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Truths About Other Worlds**

* * *

 **Like or please review ~**


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